Gabriel Garcia Marquez Background on Colombia Biography Magical

Gabriel Garcia Marquez Background on Colombia Biography Magical Realism

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

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

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

GGM Photos

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

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

GGM: Early Life Ü Grandfather Ü Military career - led Aracataca to become a Liberal Ü Ü 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 Ü Grandmother Ü Storyteller - Superstitious - blurred lines between living and dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Covers of Chronicle

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

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

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

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

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

Another example of Magical Realism

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

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

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