“One Hundred Years of Solitude,” a literary analysis of the novel by Gabriel García Márquez. The story of one book

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Many years will pass, and Colonel Aureliano Buendia, standing at the wall awaiting execution, will remember that distant evening when his father took him with him to look at the ice. Macondo was then a small village with two dozen huts built of clay and bamboo on the banks of a river that rushed its clear waters over a bed of white polished stones, as large as prehistoric eggs. The world was still so new that many things had no names and had to be pointed at. Every year in March, near the outskirts of the village, a ragged gypsy tribe pitched their tents and, accompanied by the screeching of whistles and the ringing of tambourines, introduced the inhabitants of Macondo to the latest inventions of learned men. First the gypsies brought a magnet. A portly gypsy with a dense beard and thin fingers curled like a bird's paw, who called himself Melquiades, brilliantly demonstrated to those present this, as he put it, the eighth wonder of the world, created by the alchemists of Macedonia. Holding two iron bars in his hands, he moved from hut to hut, and the horror-stricken people saw how basins, kettles, tongs and braziers were lifted from their places, and nails and screws desperately tried to escape from the boards cracking with tension. Objects that had long been hopelessly lost suddenly appeared exactly where they had been most sought before, and in a disorderly crowd rushed after the magic bars of Melquiades. “Things, they are also alive,” the gypsy proclaimed with a sharp accent, “you just need to be able to awaken their soul.” José Arcadio Buendia, whose powerful imagination always carried him not only beyond the line at which the creative genius of nature stops, but also further - beyond the limits of miracles and magic, decided that a scientific discovery that was so far useless could be adapted to extract gold from the bowels of the earth .

Melquíades - he was an honest man - warned: “A magnet is not suitable for this.” But at that time, José Arcadio Buendia still did not believe in the honesty of the gypsies and therefore exchanged his mule and several kids for magnetic bars. In vain his wife Ursula Iguaran, who was going to improve the family's upset affairs at the expense of these animals, tried to stop him. “Soon I will fill you with gold - there will be nowhere to put it,” her husband answered. For several months, José Arcadio Buendía stubbornly tried to fulfill his promise. Inch by inch, he explored the entire surrounding area, even the river bottom, carrying with him two iron bars and repeating in a loud voice the spell that Melquíades had taught him. But the only thing he managed to bring to light was the rusty armor of the fifteenth century - when struck, it made a booming sound like big pumpkin, filled with stones. When José Arcadio Buendía and four fellow villagers who accompanied him on his campaigns took the armor into pieces, they found a calcified skeleton inside, and on his neck was a copper medallion with a lock of a woman's hair.

Passed away on April 17 Gabriel Garcia Marquez- a writer who became a classic during his lifetime. The novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” brought worldwide fame to the writer - a book that was written in such an unusual manner that many publishing houses refused to publish it. Only one risk was taken - and the work became an international bestseller. To date, more than 30 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide.

Gabriel Garcia Marxes. Photo: flickr.com / Carlos Botelho II

Background

Laureate Nobel Prize in literature and one of the most famous Colombian writers (if not the most famous), Gabriel García Márquez was born in 1927 in the small town of Aracataca. The boy spent his entire childhood with his grandparents (a retired colonel), listening to folk tales and legends. Years later, they will be reflected in his works, and the city itself will become the prototype of Macondo, the fictional place where the novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” takes place. A few more decades later, the mayor of Aracataca will propose renaming the city Macondo and will even hold a vote - however, the residents will not support his idea. And yet, all of Colombia will be proud of Marquez - and on the day of the writer’s death, the country’s president will write in his microblog: “A thousand years of loneliness and sadness due to the death of the greatest Colombian of all time, I express my solidarity and condolences to the family.”

Machine, hair dryer and mixer - for a novel

In the 1960s, the writer made a living working as a PR manager and editing other people's film scripts. Despite the fact that he had to support his family - his wife and two children, he took a risk and decided to realize the grandiose plan of a new novel. Marquez gave up work and pawned his car, and gave the proceeds to his wife so that she could provide him with paper, cigarettes and everything he needed every day. The author himself completely immersed himself in his work. He went into “voluntary confinement” for 18 months—the result of his work was the novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”

When Marquez finished the book, he learned that the family was mired in debt. For example, they owed the butcher 5,000 pesos, a huge sum at that time. As the writer said, he did not even have enough money to send the manuscript to the publisher - this required 160 pesos, and the author only had half the money. Then he pawned the mixer and his wife. The wife responded with the words: “The only thing missing was for the novel to be bad.”

Soldiers from the Colombian Civil War. 1900 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org/Desconocido

Magic realism "One Hundred Years of Solitude"

The novel did not turn out to be “bad”. True, before falling into the hands of to the right person, the text was rejected by several different publishers - apparently, they were “scared” by Marquez’s unusual writing style. His work mixes real everyday life and fantastical elements - for example, dead characters appear in the novel, the gypsy Melquíades predicts the future, and one of the heroines is carried into the sky.

Despite the fact that such artistic method Since magical realism (namely, the writer adopted it) existed even before Marquez, writers did not resort to it very often. But the novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” changed the attitude towards magical realism- now it is considered one of the “pinnacle” works of this method.

Chronicle of a family

The author describes the story of seven generations of the Buendia family - the lives of heroes whose lot was loneliness. Thus, the first representative of Buendia, the founder of the city of Macondo, spent many years alone under a tree, someone spent the rest of his life locked in an office, someone died in a monastery.

The “starting point” for Marquez was incest, as a result of which a child with a “pig tail” was born into the family. The legend about him is passed down among Buendia from generation to generation, but between relatives it arises again and again. love relationship and incest occurs. Eventually the circle closes - after 100 years, another child is born with a “pig tail”. This is where the Buendia family ends.

Fifteen years after the publication of One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez became the first Colombian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The award was awarded with the wording “For novels and stories in which fantasy and reality, combined, reflect the life and conflicts of an entire continent.”

A fragment of the cover of the novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Marxes. Photo: flickr.com / Alan Parkinson

A fairy-tale novel, a metaphorical novel, an allegory novel, a saga novel—whatever critics have called Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s work “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” The novel, published just over half a century ago, has become one of the most readable works XX century.

Throughout the novel, Marquez describes the history of the small town of Macondo. As it turned out later, such a village actually exists - in the wilderness of tropical Colombia, not far from the homeland of the writer himself. And yet, at the suggestion of Marquez, this name will forever become associated not with a geographical object, but with the symbol of a fairy tale city, a mythical city, a city where traditions, customs, and stories from the writer’s distant childhood will forever remain alive.

Indeed, the entire novel is imbued with some kind of deep warmth and sympathy of the writer for everything depicted: the town, its inhabitants, their ordinary everyday concerns. And Marquez himself admitted more than once that “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is a novel dedicated to his memories from childhood.

From the pages of the work came to the reader the fairy tales of the writer’s grandmother, legends and stories of his grandfather. Often the reader cannot escape the feeling that the story is told from the perspective of a child who notices all the little things in the life of the town, closely observes its inhabitants and tells us about it in a completely childlike way: simply, sincerely, without any embellishment.

And yet “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is not just a fairy tale novel about Macondo through the eyes of its little resident. The novel clearly depicts the almost hundred-year history of all of Colombia (40s of the 19th century - 3rd of the 20th century). It was a time of significant social upheaval in the country: a series of civil wars, interference in the measured life of Colombia by a banana company from North America. Little Gabriel once learned about all this from his grandfather.

This is how six generations of the Buendia family are woven into the fabric of history. Each hero is a separate character of particular interest to the reader. Personally, I didn’t like giving the heroes hereditary names. Although this is indeed common in Colombia, the confusion that arises is sometimes downright annoying.

Roman is rich lyrical digressions, internal monologues of the characters. The life of each of them, being an integral part of the life of the town, is at the same time maximally individualized. The canvas of the novel is saturated with all kinds of fairy-tale and mythical plots, the spirit of poetry, irony of all kinds (from good humor to corrosive sarcasm). Characteristic feature The work is the practical absence of large dialogues, which, in my opinion, significantly complicates its perception and makes it somewhat “lifeless.”

Marquez pays particular attention to describing how historical events change the human essence, worldview, disrupt the usual peaceful course of life in the small town of Macondo.

The end of the novel is truly biblical. The struggle of the inhabitants of Mokondo with the forces of nature is lost, the jungle is advancing, and a rain flood plunges people into the abyss. What is surprising, however, is the somewhat “short” ending of the novel; the work seems to end, its ending confined within the tight confines of a few paragraphs. Not every reader will be able to understand the deep essence embedded in these lines.

And critics of the novel took completely different approaches to its interpretation. It is not for nothing that the author, speaking about the idea of ​​the novel, was sad that many did not understand it. With his work, Marquez wanted to emphasize that loneliness is the antipode of solidarity, and humanity will perish if there is no certain spiritual community, a common morality.

Nevertheless, the novel is still one of the ten most popular works of the last century. I think everyone finds something of their own in it, sometimes inexplicable in words. And the topics raised by the author cannot leave anyone indifferent: family relationships, issues of morality and ethics, war and peace, the natural desire of people to live in harmony with themselves and the world around them, the destructive power of idleness, depravity, self-isolation.

As for my personal perception of the novel, I am not one of the army of fans of One Hundred Years of Solitude. I have already pointed out the shortcomings of the work (in my humble opinion, of course). The novel is a bit difficult to read precisely because of its narrative nature; its “dryness” due to the absence of a large number of dialogues is obvious. However, the logic is clear - what kind of dialogue is there in a work with that title? And the ending surprises and leaves an indelible feeling of some kind of incompleteness.

Conclusion: read the novel, get to know its characters, decide whether to become a fan of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” or not. In any case, the time spent reading this work will not be in vain for you - I can definitely guarantee that.

58 comments

I admit that I did not finish reading the book. Somewhere closer to 2/3 I finally got confused in those same six generations. However, as the reviewer writes: “the novel is still one of the ten most popular works of the last century” and this is true. One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the most memorable books I've read in a while. lately. I can add to the review that sometimes the events described in the book, like ordinary life, are of a mystical nature.

Just like that, against the background of Russian classics and world literature of the “classical” level, this novel seemed to me personally to be some kind of unprincipled absurdity. The beginning captivates with some color, but then there is still no closure. A continuous stream of characters and events comes as if from a pipe and smoothly goes down the drain. I forced myself to listen to this piece to the end, and I can say that at the end nothing qualitatively new happens, there was no need to suffer.

With this book I began my acquaintance with the world of Latin American literature. Now it looks outdated and complicated (which may be the same thing). But it will be a long time before anyone writes her equal. Marquez described the world of magic so realistically that it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish the boundary between reality and fiction in the book. The author of the review had a “dry” attitude towards the book, and it’s worth writing a review when you love the book, love it like your own child.

Oh how nice! I decided to read the reviews to see if I had missed anything. Isn't it secret meaning, hidden intentions? With great relief (because, I admit, I’m a little stupid) I found out - no, this is just the delirium of a bored person and graphomania. “...Each hero is a separate character...” - huh??? In my opinion, each hero is the same person with a set of habits, actions, judgments suitable for a given moment in time. I mastered this work for more than a month and, if not for the completely absurd “miracles” (sometimes entertaining with their stupidity), I would not have read even a quarter. Honestly, vomiting American cartoons give me as much affection as this “One Hundred Years of Belching”, but, I admit, the latter will be very difficult to banish from my memory. I promise to try.

Olga spoke negatively about the novel, but her “One Hundred Years of Belching” show that the book definitely left a mark on her head. What unexpected comparisons and metaphors! No, guys, this is a miracle!

The novel is a must read. And it is not without deep meaning; on the contrary, the author of the novel many times in a row (using the example of “Aureliano”, “José Arcadio” and other heroes) tells us that we must love and be loved, we cannot refuse love (we are, of course, not talking about love between relatives ), because this, in the example of the book’s heroes, leads to deep loneliness.

In my opinion, the book is quite easy to read. The most important thing is not to confuse the characters and understand which of them we are talking about at the moment. I wanted to understand the main philosophical essence of the novel. I thought about this for a long time. It seems to me that the author wanted to say about the stupidity and debauchery of the entire Buendino clan, that all their mistakes from generation to generation are repeated in a circle - the same ones, which led to the death of this clan. It's interesting to read, but after reading it I felt a sense of hopelessness.

I really liked the book. I read it in one sitting, even to my surprise. The only remark is the repeated names - it was a little difficult to remember them. I recommend everyone to read it.

And I really liked the book! Yes, of course you get confused in the same names. After the first third of the book, I even regretted that I didn’t start drawing the family tree in time, so as not to forget who was whose child. But if you don’t stretch the book out over a month, but read it without interruptions for several days, then you can figure out who’s who.
The impressions are only good. I really liked the writing style without dialogue. Of course I wouldn’t re-read it, but I don’t regret reading it one bit!

I read a lot. Marquez, Pavic, Borges, Cortazar, etc. I have never read anything better than this novel. After this book, you can read all the others in order to be convinced again that nothing better has ever been written. This is Marquez, and that says it all. A person who has not reached maturity might not like the novel. So much sensuality, so much pain, miracles and loneliness. I'm delighted. The novel is amazing.

Second day since I finished reading. Still impressed. I’m the only one in the city who’s happy that in the midst of the hellish heat, it’s finally raining - I feel like I’m in a surreal fairy tale =)
The book is really not for everyone, not everyone will like it. Regarding “drink Marquez’s language” - it’s absolutely true, try drinking it. Even in translation there are amazing allegories, irony and wordplay (I speak as a philologist). And you can get unraveled in names - on Wikipedia there is a family tree, carefully compiled by someone.
To make it easier to read:
1. Prepare in advance that there will be no usual “introduction-commencement-climax-denouement”, there will be, as they have already said: “A continuous flow of characters and events comes as if from a pipe and smoothly goes down the drain.” The first half of the book was boring because of it, but then I got so used to it that I was sad when it was all over.
2. Enjoy the wonders and oddities that seem normal to the characters. There is no need to try to explain them or simply shout “What nonsense the old senile person wrote.” A book in the genre of mystical realism - that’s how it is done here =)

book is a bluff, nothing instructive, no useful information. there is no plot, climax or denouement, everything happens at the level of one event and therefore many read in one gulp. Sometimes some episodes put me into mortal melancholy or just shock. I categorically do not recommend it to anyone, especially to persons with an unformed psyche.

I agree with Anna! I read the novel a long time ago, now I don’t remember all the details and repetitions of it, but it’s stuck in my memory - delight and sadness!!! Yes, exactly, pain and sensuality, delight and sadness! When you experience emotions and don’t coldly figure out who is who and what’s behind it…. It’s like a song, you don’t know what they’re singing about, but you like it so much, sometimes you like it so much that it gives you chills! And for some reason she presented individual episodes in the form of animation, so black and white, graphic, only sometimes in color, in special, acute cases... In general, this is Marquez! And who doesn’t like it, well, you’re just on a different wavelength...

This is my favorite book. The first time I read it, I realized that this is what I was looking for. A book without falsehood, like the clear voice of a soloist in a church choir. The reviewer complains about the lack of dialogue. Why are they needed? It's like an epic. Like the Illiad. How difficult it turns out for people to understand obvious things. The reader doesn’t want to think about it, give it to him ready-made, chew it. What about the pot? In my opinion, everyone sees what they want to see. If you want to see dialogues, read other authors. Russian classics also have shortcomings. I can defend my opinion and give compelling reasons.

It seemed to me that there was no need to know who was whose son or brother. It seems to me that in the same name lies the meaning of the destiny that everyone has. And the sooner you get lost, the sooner you will understand the essence. It doesn't matter whether it's a brother or a matchmaker. It doesn’t even matter whether you are a doctor, a prostitute, a warrior or a cook. It is important not to figure out who is which Aureliano, but to see your loneliness in these people and that boomerang that repeats itself starting from the first person on earth... it seemed to me so...

Is it crazy that Marquez’s language is not rich? Don't forget that we are reading only a pathetic translation! In the language of the writer, it is difficult even for the Spaniards themselves.
I don't understand how you can judge a book just because it is too complex and confusing. I won’t say that I stand out with some special intelligence, but if you are not lazy and think a little, reading becomes easy.
I liked the book, it left an indelible mark on my soul, it made my feelings wake up, dream, and fantasize. And the ending, which left behind some unsaid things, makes the fantasy even more aroused.
Besides, in my opinion, there is no bad literature except modern literature.

An amazing symbolic novel that explains the essence of human existence. A vicious circle of destinies and events, everything repeats itself! It's amazing how easily Marquez reveals our past, present and future in such a small volume. It’s amazing how non-intrusively he explains the essence of knowledge, religion and warriors. Origins of origin, life and death. Amazing! This book is a revelation, although it warns us: “The first in the family was tied to a tree, and the last will be eaten by ants” and “for the branches of the family, sentenced to a hundred years of solitude, will not be allowed to repeat themselves on earth.” And of course, 100 years of loneliness is the endless loneliness of a person coming and going into this world.

I am amazed at the people who try to judge this book, but they themselves cannot even figure out the names.
Where are you going? gentlemen?! read whatever you need to know...
The book is wonderful, yes I agree, difficult, but wonderful, sex is like a screen here. I don’t think it’s important as such. I think the book is about
loneliness awaits all of us and always. and may you still be young and strong with many friends. but they will all leave over time or for some other reason, be it death or your not wanting to see them and you will be left alone...
but there is no need to be afraid of it. you just have to accept it and live with it.
I think so.
but if you tried to figure it out only in names, I think. It's too early for you to read such books. and it’s a long time ago to judge what is a classic and what is not. vame

I don't know, I'm a practical person. And my love is like that. If a person needs you, he will be with you. And you will try to be. And if he doesn’t need you, no matter how hard you try, there’s no point.

What worries me for example:

What is needed for the development of a nation
What does an individual need to survive?
Water supply
Food
And so on and so forth

People, of course, can live in a village for centuries, thousands of years and enjoy fabulous “love” and have sex with everyone. Live and die and leave no trace behind.

I agree with the last comment. Calling a book bad simply because the brain is underdeveloped and has poor memory for names? Or because the language is complicated and “there are no long dialogues”?

This is not a Russian classic; there is no plot or other canons. Marquez wrote it for ten years, locked himself at home, his wife brought him paper and cigarettes, and he wrote. This book is a canvas, a book like a patchwork quilt, it is, after all, a book written by a Colombian. Why read it and try to adjust it to some canons of literature and your own prejudices?

For me and many who fell in love with this book, it was not difficult for me to follow the plot and history of the Buendia family, as well as to perceive the essence of this story. Everything is actually very, very simple, Marquez wrote everything very clearly and clearly: this is a book about loneliness, about individualism and the inability to love.

He wrote it just at a time when the fever of pride and lack of community infected the entire Western world, and in the book he expressed his opinion: any race that chooses loneliness is doomed to destruction.

He put this simple and clear idea into such a wonderful, magical, vibrant form, full of colorful characters, incredible incidents and real events from the history of Colombia.

It is this bright shell that mainly attracts people who first look for some funny novel about love passions in it, and then wonder where everything went and why everything has become so complicated. It’s a shame, dear readers, to disgrace a truly wonderful work, just because you apparently need to read detective stories.

Amazing piece. If you have nothing to do with philology or reading in general as something serious, don’t even pick up this book. And the author of this article is ridiculous. Who will take into account the opinion of who knows? It is not for you to criticize a brilliant author.

Max, it’s you who is ridiculous and people like you who write generalized phrases like “this is a brilliant book”, “I recommend it to everyone”. The author speaks his mind and is interesting to read. And anyone has the right to criticize anyone. This is better than saying empty words like yours, which only irritate. It would be great if there were more people like the author of this review and fewer upstarts like you. If you liked the book and you make loud, but at the same time empty statements, then at least justify your opinion. I keep writing this because I’m tired of reading water like the one you wrote.

How disappointed I was by the reviews... The book is brilliant. The author, using simple examples, reveals the theme of love, friendship, war, development, prosperity and decline. This single and unbreakable cycle repeats itself over and over again. The author revealed human vices that invariably lead to loneliness. Repeated names only enhance the sense of cyclical time, which Ursula and Peel Turner constantly note. Moreover, Ursula tries several times to break this vicious circle, recommending not to call descendants by the same names. And how subtly and imperceptibly the development of society is described: the utopian first settlement, the emergence of the church, then the police and the authorities, war, progress and globalization, terror and crime, the rewriting of history by the authorities.. It is inconceivable how the author managed to combine history, novel, tragedy and philosophy into a real fairy tale. This is a great work.

As mentioned earlier, there is an endless stream of events in the book and it becomes more difficult to remember what is connected with each page, knocks out a cascade of the same names, and in the end everything merges together. Definitely not my best purchase. Maybe there is an idea, but apparently I’m not as far-sighted as many. You know, comrades, felt-tip pens vary in taste and color. I was not at all impressed by this work.

When I was a student, I found out about the existence of this book and immediately a debate arose that it was a very sophisticated crap, with an endless confusion of names. I decided not to even try to read it. And so the book itself came to my house, and although I read quite rarely and very selectively, but I not only mastered Marquez, but greedily devoured it in 2 evening-night sittings. As soon as the names began to be repeated, I was a little embarrassed, but, it seems to me, I made one correct conclusion about the approach to reading: this book cannot be stretched out for weeks and months, otherwise you will inevitably get confused, but if you give her 2 days off, the twists and turns with names will not confuse you and you will not miss the main point. I can also add that in political terms, Marquez is relevant, as will be in the future, as long as there is a policy with her dirt and while politicians hide their pride and vices behind lofty phrases, bringing evil, destruction and decline into the world. It is very relevant for Russia. And yet... In addition to all the obvious and hidden meanings, the book stunned me in that it acts like a witchcraft conspiracy, like a mystical means of manipulating a person - I physically felt a lot of what was written about and felt myself in the place of heroes and heroines, as if the events were happening to me. Dostoevsky has a similar, but rather exhausting and painful effect, completely exhausting the soul and leaving a long and difficult an aftertaste that does not allow you to read something less deep. And from Marquez these feelings are rather positive, I can only compare them to a time machine, when you are transported to the very first, most exciting and dizzying moments of your life and as if you are reliving unique sweet moments , carried away into space. Therefore, for me this book is pure witchcraft.

I read it in my youth, “swallowed it” in a week, understood little, remembered little (except for the constant repetitions of complex names), and learned little. After 20 years I decided to re-read it. It's much clearer now. As Brodsky wrote, in addition to the title of the book and the name of the author, it is necessary to write his age at the time of writing... It would also be nice to write for what age the book is. Especially in our age of “clip thinking”. The work is not for any adult, let alone young people whose “felt-tip pens are still different.” And it’s especially funny to read the “reviews” of those who don’t understand. This book is a true classic.
PS Vladiana’s review is the most meaningful. I shake your hand!

My God, you are mine! what blackness. I don’t know, of course, how one can evaluate this work. It's absolutely brilliant. From the first to the last line. It describes life itself, relationships, including love ones, without any embellishment. Did you want a storm? A sudden change of scenery? So in real life happens extremely rarely. Marquez is a genius. This work left the deepest imprint on my life. I fell in love with this crazy family. And he loved her, I'm sure. This is an absolutely epic piece of work, and the hereditary traits are passed down as a blessing and a curse at the same time. Imagine that you need to tell about your family. How much fun would it be for you?

I don’t recommend it, I agree with what was said above; in the process of reading, you confuse who is who. The book leaves a nasty feeling in the soul, philologists here write “a miracle book”, for me it’s complete nonsense!!! (Without exaggeration! One plus, after reading it, I began to admire Russian classics a hundred times more. Our classics wrote truly masterpieces, and this is disgusting reading with vile aftertaste and a completely meager, meaningless ending (Disappointment knows no bounds (

In my opinion, the novel is about some kind of animal essence of man. About unbridled determination, desire to live and tirelessness. About the heroism of people who were not afraid to go into the jungle to search for a new land and a new life. Yes, somewhat similar to the series. But, without unnecessary descriptions, it reveals the personalities of the heroes under different circumstances: war, the appearance of foreigners, various misfortunes and family troubles. Just look at the hard work and endurance of Ursula, who was not afraid even of the soldiers and was able to come to Aurliano to give him a beating. It feels like it was people like her that supported this town. One of the minuses is the names of the heroes, they begin to get confused already in the third generation.

Apparently, I’m older than everyone who wrote reviews, I’m already in my seventh decade.
Of course, this novel is completely different from what we have ever read before. First of all, exotic. South American nature and the people who inhabit it. Well, where do you see a girl who sucks her thumb and eats dirt, and then spits out dead leeches? And, meanwhile, this girl does not evoke natural disgust, but only pity.
Also main character, Aurelio Buendia. He does not inspire any love for himself, he is an ordinary revolutionary warrior... He went bankrupt. There is no point to his existence. And our entire existence has no meaning. Live just for the sake of living. But at the same time, don’t make as many mistakes as the main character made, so that you don’t feel excruciatingly painful for the mistakes you made.
But our main character got too carried away - he sent his best friend and comrade! Thank God, he came to his senses and canceled his sentence. But from that moment on he was already dead...
I haven’t gotten to the end of the novel yet, there’s not much left.

An amazing book. I read it a long time ago, three times in a row - well, as it should be: at first - all the time running ahead from impatience; the second time - in more detail; and the third time - with feeling, with sense, with arrangement... The impression was deafening. Nothing like it before there was none: neither from the classics, nor from European modern literature. There was some idea of ​​​​Latin Americans from the works of O. Henry (very romantic), T. Wilde (The Bridge of Saint Louis), the film “Captains of the Sand Quarries” (based on the novel by Jorge Amado Not reading, but devouring the pages, I admired the text (translated by M.A. Bylinkina - this is important), the avalanche of events, amazing human destinies and relationships, sometimes mystical phenomena (akin to Gogol) - a lot of things were just a revelation for me... After Marquez, I discovered other Latin American writers: Jorge Amado, Miguel Otera Silva. And recently my friend and I re-read this magnificent book, adding new accents. For me This is a book that people come back to...

My friends, I ask YOU not to judge ME, who I adore and never repeat, MARQUEZ HE IS A GENIUS I will explain this book should be read in one breath and evoke a lot of emotions, experiences and spiritual work If this did not happen to you, then there may be reasons 1 you are reading at the wrong time and at the wrong time hour (the book is not for reading on the train or at the dacha, 1-2 pages need to be swallowed and crushed) 2 have not reached a certain spiritual level (think about something, otherwise it’s like Vysotsky’s and you’ll become a baobab) 3 the novel is actually about love in the highest manifestation (if you have never loved in a big way, then alas and ah And I am ashamed of those who write reviews without any spiritual right Be more modest, know your place, this novel is the highest mystical work in art literature It was clearly written with the help of higher powers Sorry for writing I’m driving (my first review in 48 years) I don’t keep up with my literacy I wish everyone to experience true love

Gabriel García Márquez, Nobel Prize laureate in literature, Colombian prose writer, journalist, publisher and political activist, laureate of the Neustadt Prize literary prize, author of many worldwide famous works, which will not leave the reader indifferent.

The book is definitely worthy of admiration! But it's not that simple. Have you ever had such a feeling when you are given a perfume; at first glance it seems ordinary and boring, but still there is some kind of mystery in it, thanks to which interest in it does not disappear; moreover, you would like to get to know it better. After some time, the aroma opens up and turns out to be so magnificent and individual that it becomes your favorite. I experienced the same feeling when reading 100 Years of Solitude. My older sister recommended this book to me, and my teacher also advised everyone to read it.

From the beginning the book seemed ordinary and unremarkable to me. But still there was something about her, and that something attracted me. After reading the first 300 pages, I retained my first impression, and even got a little confused; the names of Arcadio and Aureliano Buendia were constantly repeated in the book. I read and did not understand their family line, who is who. But by the end of the book, in an instant I realized everything and was personally convinced of the absolute genius of the author. Literally in the last few pages I realized what Gabriel García Márquez wanted to convey, and everything came together into the overall picture. Undoubtedly, this is a brilliant work from which I was delighted.
The meaning of the novel “100 Years of Solitude”, in my opinion, is to show the need for each person and his direct influence on the entire history of existence. Man plays his individual role and is part of the whole world. We often think about our uselessness, we feel like a grain of sand against the background of the overall picture of the universe, because our world is huge, and we are very small for it... But the whole world is us. Everyone has their own purpose: making goldfish, defending political views, raising livestock, or painting. lottery tickets, but of course we are all very important for fulfilling our destiny, even if it is not yet visible, but at the right time it will make itself felt.

Guys, there are not many names there, it’s easy to remember them, it’s easy to read in one breath, there’s no need to compare them with Russian classics, because comparing them is generally a bad idea. Great book, I'm impressed.

I started reading “One Hundred Years of Solitude” several times, but I still couldn’t get through more than a couple of dozen pages. There was confusion in the names, many events changed with each new page, which is why the thread of what was happening was lost.
However, not so long ago, I decided to “defeat” this book, having prepared in advance for the fact that I might even have to write down who belongs to whom and how, so as not to completely get confused in the genealogy.
So, I read the work (on the third try) with such rapture that it still doesn’t let me go.
These characters, the city, the atmosphere... all this sinks into the soul and remains there forever.
It seems to me that no matter how the hero at first glance is a fighter for justice, a revelry drunkard, a spendthrift, a virginal old maid, or the most beautiful carefree girl in the world, all these people have a huge black hole inside, a loneliness that eats away at them and everything around them. The imprint of the curse of loneliness and the inability to love poisons these people and they indulge in sinful acts, which ultimately wipes out their family from the face of the earth, thanks to its destructive force.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is the creator of the wonderful novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. The book was published in the second half of the 20th century. It has been translated into more than 30 languages ​​and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. The novel has gained wide popularity; it raises questions that will always be relevant: the search for truth, the diversity of life, the inevitability of death, loneliness.

The novel tells the story of one fictional town of Macondo and one family. This story is unusual, tragic and comical at the same time. Using the example of one Buendia family, the writer talks about all the people. The city is presented from the moment of its origin to the moment of its collapse. Despite the fact that the name of the city is fictitious, the events taking place in it have significant similarities with real events that took place in Colombia.

The founder of the city of Macondo was José Arcadio Buendia, who settled there with his wife Ursula. Gradually the city began to flourish, children were born, and the population grew. Jose Arcadio was interested in secret knowledge, magic, and something unusual. He and Ursula had children who were not like other people, but at the same time they were very different from each other. Subsequently, the story of this family for more than a century is told: the children and grandchildren of the founders, their relationships, love; civil war, power, period of economic development and decline of the town.

The names of the characters in the novel are constantly repeated, as if showing that everything in their lives is cyclical, that they repeat their mistakes over and over again. The author raises the theme of incest in the work, starting with the founders of the city, who were relatives, and ending the story with the relationship between aunt and nephew and the complete destruction of the city, which was predicted in advance. The characters' relationships are complex, but they all wanted to love and loved, had families and children. However, each of them was lonely in their own way, the entire history of their family from the moment of its inception to the death of the last representative of the family is a history of loneliness that lasted more than a century.

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The idea for a new novel, which in the original version he wanted to call “Home,” had been brewing for a long time. He even managed to describe some of his characters on the pages of his previous books. The novel was conceived as a broad epic canvas, describing the life of numerous representatives of seven generations of one family, so Marquez spent most of his time working on it. He had to give up all other work. Having mortgaged the car, Marquez gave this money to his wife so that she could support their two sons and provide the writer with paper, coffee, cigarettes and some food. It must be said that in the end the family even had to sell household appliances, since there was no money at all.

As a result of continuous 18-month work, the novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” was born, so unusual and original that many publishing houses where Marquez applied with it simply refused to publish it, not at all confident in its success with the public. The first edition of the novel was published in only 8 thousand copies.

Chronicle of a family

“One Hundred Years of Solitude” describes the story of only one family, but this is not at all a list of events happening to the heroes. This is a looped time that began to twist its spirals of family history with incest and ended this story also with incest. The Colombian tradition of giving children the same family names further emphasizes this circularity and inevitable cyclicality, feeling which all representatives of the Buendia family always experience internal loneliness and accept it with philosophical doom.

In fact, it is simply impossible to retell the content of this work. Like any work of genius, it is written only for one specific reader and that reader is you. Everyone perceives and understands it in their own way. Perhaps that is why, while many of Marquez’s works have already been filmed, not a single director undertakes to transfer the heroes of this mystical novel to the screen.