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Publisher's description: In this long-awaited first volume of a planned trilogy, the most acclaimed and revered living Nobel laureate begins to tell us the story of his life. Like all his work, Living to Tell the Tale is a magnificent piece of writing. It spans Gabriel García Márquez's life from his birth in 1927 through the start of his career as a writer to the moment in the 1950s when he proposed to the woman who would become his wife. It has the shape, the quality, and the vividness of a conversation with the reader--a tale of people, places, and events as they occur to him: the colorful stories of his eccentric family members; the great influence of his mother and maternal grandfather; his consuming career in journalism, and the friends and mentors who encouraged him; the myths and mysteries of his beloved Colombia; personal details, undisclosed until now, that would appear later, transmuted and transposed, in his fiction; and, above all, his fervent desire to become a writer. And, as in his fiction, the narrator here is an inspired observer of the physical world, able to make clear the emotions and passions that lie at the heart of a life--in this instance, his own.… (more)
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Maar in die gebeurtenissen krijgt de verbeeldingsvolle formuleringskracht van García Márquez als van oudsher vrij baan. Zo bedwelmend en sprookjesachtig als zijn kinderjaren, het journalistieke succes en niet te vergeten de talloze gestreelde vrouwendijen hier beschreven worden, zijn ze misschien allemaal niet geweest. Maar wie zou deze verhalen erover hebben willen missen?
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The action picks up a bit when as a teenager he leaves Aracataca to continue his education in Bogata at a time when the roots of a revolution are planted and where he meets his life long friend, Fidal Castro.
With Bogata in the midst of chaos he transfers to Cartagena and rather than follow his father's wishes he follows his heart and writes. He's a journalist, an editorialist, an author of several stories that don't amount to much yet he earns enough to help his family and make friends and connections that help him achieve his desires.
The story comes to its conclusion as Marquez is sent to Geneva, Switzerland on his first international story. As he leaves he attempts to re-connect with the young woman who he proposed to at the tender age of 13.
What a cliffhanger! Will they or will they not reunite? I'm sorry to say the story may never be told by Marquez. Since it's been 11 years since this book was published I became curious as to when the next one will be released, or maybe it was and I missed it. Unfortunately, I discovered that, last year, his brother revealed that Marquez, who is nearing 90 years of age, has dementia and has ceased writing. Hopefully, there are enough notes for someone else to complete his trilogy
In recounting his early life, the author also tells the history of Columbia – the politics, culture, troubles and triumphs of the people. He talks
Marquez cannot tell a tale without some element of magical realism; that style is so ingrained in the oral traditions of Latin America. I loved those little hints in this story of a literary technique that this author perfected and brought to lovers of literature worldwide. In some scenes I was reminded of evenings spent on the porch in the dark of a summer’s evening, listening to my grandparents recount tales of their own childhoods. And while I generally dislike “cliff-hanger” endings, the one employed here was just perfect.
Still, I’m in no hurry to read additional memoirs by Marquez. This one definitely could have used some editing.
Living to Tell the Tale is not only a first installment of a man's autobiography, but it is also a peek into the mind of a budding writer; tales about Marquez's mother and how she was his first character and her life, his first plot; the starting of a cultural weekly to combine sports with literature. Crawl inside the mind of this extraordinary writer's mind and you will find a man who cared deeply for perfection. Example: the difference between Madrilenian and Caribbean dialects can alter the text's meaning considerably. Marquez had copies of such an incorrect edit destroyed.
Living to Tell the Tale only takes the reader up to Marquez's life in the 1950s when he proposes to his wife, but there are glimpses into his future such as in 1962 when In Evil Hour won a novel competition and he celebrated the birth of his second son.