Brook McPhail
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Who or what is the Latin American man? Before Gabriel Garcia Marquez, that was a question hardly anyone knew the answer to. Garcia Marquez Marquez wrote many novels, short stories, editorials, and political essays that allows the reader to develop a strong idea about the lives and culture of many Latin Americans. His divine storytelling ability, his creative characters and descriptions, his political beliefs, and his strong-willed personality has made Gabriel Garcia Marquez into one of (if not the one) Latin America’s most significant, well-known journalist. He has marked his place on this earth as an expert on the style of writing called “magic realism,” which entangles daily activities and some use of magic and spirituality. Most people, not from Latin America, could not have described daily life there. After reading Garcia Marquez’s work, audiences all across the world gained a better understanding of the struggles, the strengths, the ordinary triumphs and hardships including wealth, poverty, love, corruption, social injustices that plagued the history of the majority of the
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He is the little boy whose mother had “kidnapped” her son from his Cuban school, and fled to Miami without the consent of his Cuban father. Garcia Marquez was asked by Castro to write the Cuban version of the story. “Shipwrecked on Dry Land” was published in New York Times saying, ““the real shipwreck of Elian did not take place on the high seas, but when he set foot on American soil.” Although his story sparked some criticism in the United States, it also shed some light for some Americans. Some Americans agreed with Garcia Marquez and thought it best the little boy be taken back to Cuba (Podhoretz). It seems every piece written by Garcia Marquez opened the eyes of audiences worldwide into the changes, politically and socially, that Latin America so desperately
Dia de los reyes magos is on Jan. 5 - Feb. 2 and the day is about the 3 wisemen, But January the 6th is the special day in Mexico….. this day represents the height of the Christmas season. This celebration is where it is stated that the kings, Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthasar, traveled by night all the way from the farthest confines of the Earth to bring gifts to Jesus, whom they recognized as the Son of God. As well as regal, the Three Kings are depicted as wise men, whose very wisdom is proved by their acknowledgement of Christ's divine status. Arrived from three different directions, the kings followed the light provided by the star of Bethlehem, which reportedly lingered over the manger where the Virgin Mary gave birth for many days. In
Marcario Garcia was not born in Texas; rather his parents carried him across the border from Mexico to Texas as an infant. The family settled in Sugar Land, Texas, where they worked as lowpaid farm workers and raised ten children. The land was originally owned by the Mexican government and was part of the land grant to Stephen F. Austin. Very early, sugarcane stalks from Cuba were brought to the area and a
(134,219). The author and main character Rodriguez are one in the same person. At a young age Luis Rodriguez started writing about his life story which becomes a big feat for him because of not getting education in school, gang related problems, and being a leader in school for his fellow classmates. He clearly goes against a stereotype he faces which is Hispanics are illiterate by, writing a book despite getting without help in his circumstances and writing becoming very popular throughout the years. As a result of his hard work he put into his stories and poems, thanks to one of his teachers Mrs. Baez, the stories and poems were edited and sent to many literary contests.
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings." The Norton Introduction Literature. Ed. Jerome Beaty.N.Y. : W.W. Norton and Company, 1996.525-529.
Carlos Fuentes was born on November the eleventh, nineteen twenty-eight; he was the son of a Mexican diplomat. Carlos was very well educated; he attended schools in Washington D.C., later went on to get a law degree from the University of Mexico in Mexico City, and even studied abroad at the Institute of Advanced International Studies in Geneva. He was always inspired by writing; his law degree was merely a way to satisfy his parents. His parents did not see a future in being a writer. Fuentes was also a very well rounded traveler, because of his fathers career Fuentes was able to get a look at other cultures and governments. His travels took him throughout Mexico, the United States, Cuba, into Europe, and most importantly throughout Latin America. He was able to come to understand how governments worked, the way big business used people for their own wealth and power. Fuentes was rather disgusted by corrupt governments and big businesses and actively stood up for what he believed was right. He was very liberal and at one point even joined the communist party. He used his writings to display to people from around the world the way that business and government used and betrayed the average citizen. He was revolutionary in the way he was able to use characters in his writings to disclose the big picture and history of his own home land, the country of Mexico.
Authors from Mexican decent are often know for their Chicano literature. It can be dated back to the 16th century written by Spanish explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. Although, most Mexican American Literature is dated after 1848. During the Mexican-American war, when they annexed large parts of land that used to be Mexico. There are many trends to Chicano literature, most common theme of discrimination, finding identity, dealing with differences in culture and history. Especially emphasizing the Chicano culture and experience in the United States, many themes portrayed in most Chicano novels, consist of writing in “Spanglish” Spanish and English, involvement in migration, immigration and political stands.
Nacio el 6 de marzo de 1928 en Aracataca, Columbia , en el hogar de Gabriel Eligio Garcia, telegrafista y de Luisa Santiaga Marquez Iguaran. Siendo muy niño fue dejado al cuidado de sus abuelos maternos, el Coronel Nicolas Marquez Iguaran -su idolo de toda la vida- y Tranquilina Iguaran Cortes. El reconoce que su madre es quien descubre los personajes de sus novelas a traves de sus recuerdos. Por haber vivido retirado al comienzo de su padre, le fue difícil tratarlo con confianza en la adolescencia; "nunca me sentia seguro frente a el, no sabia como complacerlo. El era de una seriedad que yo confundia con la incomprension", dice Garcia Marquez. En 1936, cuando murio su abuelo, fue enviado a estudiar a Barranquilla. En 1940, viajo a Zipaquira, donde fue becado para estudiar bachillerato. "Alli, como no tenía suficiente dinero para perder ni suficiente billar para ganar, preferia quedarme en el cuarto encerrado, leyendo", comenta el Nobel. En 1946 termino bachillerato. Al año siguiente se matriculo en la Facultad de Ciencias Politicas de la Universidad Nacional y edito en diario "El Espectador" su cuento, "La primera designacion". En 1950, escribio una columna en el periodico "El Heraldo" de Barranquilla, bajo el seudónimo de Septimus y en 1952, publico el capítulo inicial de "La Hojarasca", su primera novela en ese diario, en el que colaboro desde 1956. En 1958, se caso con Mercedes Barcha. Tienen dos hijos, Rodrigo y Gonzalo. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, quien esta radicado en Ciudad de Mexico desde 1975, en una vieja casona restaurada por el mismo, es amigo cercano de inportantes personalidades mundiales, lo fue de Omar Torrijos y conserva fuertes lazos con Fidel Castro, Carlos Andres Perez, Francois Miterrand, los presidentes de Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia y otros muchos. El 11 de diciembre de 1982, despues de que por votacion unanime de los 18 miembros de la Academia Sueca, fue galardonado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura por su obra. La vida y obra del Nobel Garcia Marquez ha sido reconocida publicamente: en 1961 recibio el Premio Esso, en 1977, fue homenajeado en el XIII Congreso Internacional de Literatura Iberoamericana; en 1971, declarado "Doctor Honoris Causa" por la Universidad de Columbia, en Nueva York; en 1972, obtuvo el Premio Romulo Gallegos por su obra "La Candida Erendira y su abuela desalmada". En 1981, el gobierno frances le concedio la condecoracion "Legion de Honor" en el grado de Gran Comendador.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century the cultural and societal foundations were laid for the newly formed nations of the America. Both José Enrique Rodó and Jose Marti made large contributions to the development of Latin America through their literature. Both sought to improve and encourage the people of The America’s, however it is Jose Marti who truly succeeds in inspiring a national pride in his writing Our America.
In the story “A Very Old Man With Wings”, Gabriel Garcia Marquez writes about the
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a complex story about the author’s experience of poverty and hardship during the civil war in Colombia. Throughout Marquez’s late teen years, Colombia was plagued by social and economic problems. In 1946, Colombia’s problems grew into a violent rebellion that lasted for ten long years. “The violent war was named La Violencia or The Violence; it became the most bloodshed period in Colombia” (Bailey 4). Marquez’s choice of magic realism made it possible for him to place hidden messages in the story by creating a deeper connection to his readers. The intricate characters and scenes Marquez portrays in the story all have a significant relation on his emotions, his life, and his country during the tragic years of La Violencia.
McGuirk, Bernard and Richard Cardwell, edd. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: New Readings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987).
In the short story “ Artificial Roses” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Marquez explores guilt, and its relationship with the church, as well as in the family structure. In the story there are two main characters. Mina, a young woman, who makes a living by creating roses, out of paper and wires, and her blind grandmother. The first thing you learn about the pair is that they share a room. There is an obvious sense from Mina that she feels her personal space is invaded by her blind grandmother. As noted in the film old women are the ones who tell the stories, and have “magical powers.” But Mina is unaware of her grandmothers power of perception, and in the story Mina learns that her grandmother is quite aware of Mina’s actions. The story is essentially a battle of wits, and undeniable guilt, between the two.
Simpkins, Scott. "Sources of Magic Realism/Supplements to Realism in Contemporary Latin American Literature." Magical Realism. Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995: 145-157.
Gabriel García Márquez, a Colombian author who specializes upon story themes exchanging realistic events with elements of the impossible, magical realism. In the circumstances and environment in which he was raised, his influences derived upon tales of a superstitious reality, stories involving unexplainable elements. Márquez, born in the late 1920s, eldest of twelve children, developed under the care of his maternal grandparents. As a child, his grandmother provided him with the knowledge and exposed him the the world of magical realism in stories with her stylistic, straightforward spoken word. His inspirations and views revolves around the culture and environment around him, as his background and knowledge
Latin America represents approximately 9 % percent of the world’s total population, giving home to over 600 million people. From a demographical perspective, it includes countries which the language of Spanish, Portuguese and French predominantly prevail. Throughout history, Latin America has birth and gave rise to some of the most influential and controversial people of our time. With its richness in diversity and values, it upholds a high culture of music, dance, food, literature and much more. It has brought forth many talented individuals, from exuberant poets, artists, musicians to strong affluential political leaders. Latin America has given us many gifts and knowledge that we see all around us in the media and now incorporate in our lives. A substantial person that Latin America gave birth to that has been brought to my attention is the famous Chilean poet, Diplomat and Nobel Prize winner, Pablo Neruda.