Publication
Plaza & Janes Editories Sa (2003), 98 p.
Original publication date
1961
Collections
Genres
Awards
Nobel Prize in Literature (1982)
Description
No One Writes to the Colonel is a masterpiece study of a lonely old man who was once powerful--among the master's greatest works of insight into the human condition.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Petroglyph
A former colonel and his wife languish in poverty in a small Colombian village. They have lost their only son. They sell their possessions, juggle multiple lines of credit, and rest their only hopes on a rooster that will surely bring in money if it wins in the cockfighting ring a few months from
This was a nicely told story of characters stuck in a rut, choosing to stick with ideals, hopes and dreams that only through a miracle can ever again comport with reality. I liked it, and am looking forward to reading more of García Márquez’ short works.
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now. Every Friday, the colonel goes to the post office to see if the new government, which he helped install decades ago, have remembered him and have finally sent him his pension. This was a nicely told story of characters stuck in a rut, choosing to stick with ideals, hopes and dreams that only through a miracle can ever again comport with reality. I liked it, and am looking forward to reading more of García Márquez’ short works.
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LibraryThing member Clurb
The Colonel and his wife live alone and in poverty in a small Colombian town, placing all their hope in a fighting rooster which becomes a symbol of power and defiance for the townspeople against ineffectual politics and an absent government.
LibraryThing member theboylatham
Seven out of ten.
In a decaying Colombian town the Colonel and his ailing wife are living a hand-to-mouth existence, scraping together the money for food and medicine. The Colonel's hopes for a better future lie with his rooster, which for him, and the whole town, has become a symbol of defiance.
In a decaying Colombian town the Colonel and his ailing wife are living a hand-to-mouth existence, scraping together the money for food and medicine. The Colonel's hopes for a better future lie with his rooster, which for him, and the whole town, has become a symbol of defiance.
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
I don’t relish the role of literary iconoclast, but I found this novella decidedly underwhelming. If this is representative of the writer’s oeuvre, then once again I have to question how the Nobel committee arrive at their decisions – perhaps in years gone by, they have modelled themselves on
The basic premise is simple. A retired colonel and his wife are living in deep poverty, waiting patiently (but in vain) for the delivery of a letter confirming the colonel’s pension. They struggle through each day, with their meagre savings diminished further, barely stretching to cover the basic staples for survival. Their neighbour, a doctor, tries to help as far as his own limited means allow, and shares his newspapers with them. The colonel pores over these, reading every word of every article, partially as a means of filling in time, but also scanning them for news of when his pension, now some fifteen years overdue, might be conferred. We gradually learn that there is a harsh regime governing the country, and that the colonel had served faithfully many years in the past. Details are sparse, however.
Basically nothing happens. Of course, I appreciate that the lack of action is deliberate, designed to help the reader feel some semblance of the lethargy and despair that the colonel and his ageing wife felt. Well it worked. With each new page I felt a further dose of taedium vitae, and it was only through an unusual effort of will that I managed to persevere through to the end
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FIFA. The only virtue I have identified for this book so far is that it was very short.The basic premise is simple. A retired colonel and his wife are living in deep poverty, waiting patiently (but in vain) for the delivery of a letter confirming the colonel’s pension. They struggle through each day, with their meagre savings diminished further, barely stretching to cover the basic staples for survival. Their neighbour, a doctor, tries to help as far as his own limited means allow, and shares his newspapers with them. The colonel pores over these, reading every word of every article, partially as a means of filling in time, but also scanning them for news of when his pension, now some fifteen years overdue, might be conferred. We gradually learn that there is a harsh regime governing the country, and that the colonel had served faithfully many years in the past. Details are sparse, however.
Basically nothing happens. Of course, I appreciate that the lack of action is deliberate, designed to help the reader feel some semblance of the lethargy and despair that the colonel and his ageing wife felt. Well it worked. With each new page I felt a further dose of taedium vitae, and it was only through an unusual effort of will that I managed to persevere through to the end
Show Less
Language
Original language
Spanish
ISBN
9788497592352
Physical description
99 p.; 5 inches
Pages
99