ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel García Márquez: Márquez’s masterpiece deserves all the praise that has been lavished on it during the forty years since initial publication. This may be the greatest work by a living novelist, a stunning 450-page burst of creativity and imagination. Few authors have tried to squeeze so many characters, sub-plots, interludes, episodes and off-the-wall tangents into a single novel, but Márquez never gets weighted down by the complexity of his narrative. The book is light, fanciful, and full of a raw vitality. And in case you get lost, the author provides a useful family tree at the front of the book. Of course, this is one of those journeys where getting lost is more enjoyable than reaching your final destination. Just as Cervantes set the tone for the Spanish language novel by squeezing a whole universe between the covers of a life-embracing book, Márquez does the same with One Hundred Years of Solitude.
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
1 - Amanda Bittle
I loved The House on Mango Street when I was in school!
I'll have to check out some of those other titles, too.
Incidentally, I learned in Journalism History this semester that Mexico City was the home of the first North American printing press. Folks were mass-producing Spanish-language works for 100 years before the technology came to the future United States. Kinda cool.
2 - Tom
You forgot Julio Cortazar, the best of all. I'd pick Blow-Up and Other Stories.
3 - Jay Ray Ryan
I love people who make Top 10 lists, but it seems to me that any list that contains THREE works by the same person is just unfathomable. No Isabel Allende? And honestly, LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE seems lightweight, but there's depth amongst all the dishes. But I will give you tons of credit for recommending THE STORYTELLER--excellent choice.