Gabriel Garcia Marquez Background on Colombia Biography Magical Realism

History of Colombia Spanish colony until 1810 1815 - General Murillo reconquers country 1820 - reliberated by Simon Bolivar, who became Colombia’s first president 1849 - beginning of feud between two political factions: Liberals and Conservatives

History of Colombia 1800s - Country nearly always in a state of civil war Unrest between regional groups Coast = Liberals Mountains = Conservatives

History of Colombia Imperialism American-run United Fruit Company comes to Colombia (Aracataca) in 1910 1928 - Banana Strike Massacre American United Fruit Company took economic control and exploited Colombian people Conservative government killed unarmed workers holding a demonstration Denied by government and removed from history books

GGM Photos

Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Early Life Born in 1928 (some say 1927) in Aracataca, a small town near the Caribbean coast of Colombia Parents were poor and had 12 children Gabriel (aka Gabito or Gabo) was the oldest child

GGM: Early Life Lived with his mother’s parents until the age of 8 Grandparents against parents’ marriage for political and military reasons Influenced by grandparents Began writing stories as a child

GGM: Early Life Grandfather Grandmother Military career - led Aracataca to become a Liberal town Storyteller GGM’s closest bond Represented in some of GGM’s characters Told GGM there’s no greater burden than to kill a man Grandmother Storyteller - Superstitious - blurred lines between living and dead

GGM: Early Life At age 8, moved back with parents to river port of Sucre Town in Chronicle is modeled after Sucre Attended boarding school

GGM: University One of his professors would later become president of Colombia Classmates with Camilo Torres - active in guerilla movement later in life Studied law, but dropped out of law school in 1950

History of Colombia La Violencia - 150,000 Colombians killed by 1953 Liberal Jorge Gaitan investigated Banana Massacre 1946 - Conservatives terrorized Liberal voters, murdering them 1947 - Gaitan became party leader 1948 - Gaitan assassinated 3 days of deadly riots Guerilla soldiers killed 2500 Peasants fled to Venezuela

World Events 1949 - tyrant ruler Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba and Fidel Castro took power 1957 - Colombian dictatorship in full force- curfews, news blackouts - dictator fled 1959-1961 - Cuban Revolution

GGM: Middle Years Lived in a brothel Friends with and taken care of by prostitutes Portrays prostitutes favorably in his novels Lived in and worked in many countries France Cuba Mexico England United States

GGM: Middle Years - Marriage 1958 - Married Mercedes Barcha Childhood sweetheart Known as “the sacred crocodile” due to Egyptian origin He first proposed when he was only 13

GGM: Middle Years After Cuban Revolution, returned to Central America Worked as a journalist and a screenwriter First newspaper jobs - wrote about various topics: astrology, twins, the length of women’s skirts As a journalist, worked for magazines and newspapers, some of which had political overtones

GGM: Political Conflict 1981 - returned to Colombia only to be accused by the government of funding a guerilla group Promptly fled to Mexico

Covers of Chronicle

GGM: Writing Known for Magical Realism Has said his stories came from an image and not an idea Published Chronicle of a Death Foretold in 1981 Supposedly, Fidel Castro helped him edit it! Won Nobel Prize for literature in 1982 Known for Magical Realism Most famous novels: One Hundred Years of Solitude Love in the Time of Cholera

GGM: Writing Major literary influence: Read works of: Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (we’re reading this!) Taught him that narrative didn’t have to unfold by a traditional plot Read works of: Faulkner Hemingway Joyce Virginia Woolf

Magical Realism Originally used in 1920s by German art critic Franz Roh to describe a style of painting Mixes realism with fantasy, supernatural, and dreamlike elements or references to myths and fairy tales

Magical Realism Setting is “normal,” not fantasy Time seems timeless - not chronological - shifts Narrative sounds reliable despite fantasy elements Challenges polar opposites like life and death by linking them Ordinary events and descriptions

Magical Realism Horror The inexplicable Strong narrative drive - contains a message Fantasy elements never explained

Another example of Magical Realism

Amelie A French film from 2001 Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet Delicatessen (1991) Alien: Resurrection (1997) Classified as Magical Realism

Amelie Audrey Tautou Plays Amelie You know her from The Da Vinci Code (Sophie Neveu) Originally Emily Watson was supposed to play Amelie Couldn’t speak French Another commitment in London

Amelie Mathieu Kassovitz Dominique Pinon Jamel Debbouze Plays Nino You may recognize him from Munich Dominique Pinon Plays Joseph Also starred in Delicatessen Jamel Debbouze Plays Lucien Made a rap featuring Snoop Dogg