Writersbox Book Review: “Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A Life”

By Mikhail Saavedra

This captivating biography not only manages to capture the life of someone as important to world literature as Gabriel “Gabo” Garcia Marquez, Gerald Martin’s biography of the Nobel Laureate also captures the uniqueness and richness of the Latin American experience that produced him. Incredibly entertaining, this very readable biography is filled with a wealth of information that I have not seen within a biography in a very long time. The author may lack objectivity when speaking about Marquez, but believe me, if you read the book you will just see how hopelessly charming and charismatic the man really is.

But the beauty of the book resides in that it is ultimately a collective story, that is, the story of the intellectual, human and political angles of Latin America that so inevitably inhabit Marquez’s rich literary tapestry. We find out about all the famous intellectual and political friendships that have filled his life, but in a refreshing turn the way he explains them makes one think that they were no more important to him than his neighbours down the street, not a bad thing ultimately as the man seems to carry a world of affections within. You could argue that the only man he truly looks up to might be Cuban leader Fidel Castro, to whom Marquez has remain steadfastly and stubbornly loyal to, while not losing his capacity to be critical.

Ultimately this book feels like a reminder that Marquez has lived a very intense life filled with fascinating and remarkably clear convictions. I will warn you that it will be very difficult to put the book down once you get past the first chapter and I particularly recommend the last paragraph. While Marquez’s age may indicate that this may be the autumn of a unique and entertaining literary patriarch, it is also undoubtedly an invitation to walk with him in his beautiful labyrinth.

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