Garcia Marquez in 90 Minutes

By: Paul Strathern

Narrated by: Robert Whitfield

Latin American literature was never primitive; yet, from its beginnings, it was suffused with a fresh, often childish lyricism. Gabriel Garcia Marquez stands on the shoulders of a great Latin American literary heritage, but he is a modern rarity: a writer with aspirations to high art who also remains hugely popular. For those who fall under his spell, his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the richest literary dreams ever written. Its "magic realism" has influenced writers from New York to Paris to Tokyo with its endlessly imaginative vitality.

In Garcia Marquez in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Garcia Marquez's life and ideas and explains their influence on literature and on man's struggle to understand his place in the world. The book also includes selections from Garcia Marquez's writings, a list of his chief works in English translation, a chronology of his life and times, and recommended reading for those who wish to delve deeper.

©2004 Paul Strathern (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Finally, a way to get through 100 Years!

I have never been able to read Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude and this is a short biography of the writer that quotes passages from the famous book. It gives you both a lot of information about him and about 100 Years od Solitude. I don't feel that I need to read the book anymore and I have a good impression of it. This provides just enough of a picture to grasp both the content and the style of Garcia Marquez's work.

adequate

an adequate account of the life of the grandmaster of magical realism, though certain snippy lines concerning 100 Years and Autumn as well as a dependence on platitudes and a couple ambiguous quotes concerning the meaning of reality in Garcia Marquez's work make one wonder just how well the author of the biography actually understood the genre with which his subject is practically synonymous.

note: the reader, though an adept voice actor, utterly butchers the Spanish. eg "J"unta, aLenda, etc.

Interesting intro to G. Marquez

Good narration, quick paced prose, informative, puts the work of Marquez in context and summarizes his main works, for further reading. Uncritical of his politics, more focused on Latin American literary history (including several other authors)

Outstanding succinct portrait of Gabo and overview of his works.

A very detailed introduction to Garcia Marquez’s biography and synopsis literary works. Provides a solid background to understand his style and his life’s influence on the worlds he created. It does have what I’d consider spoilers however Garcia’s writing is so rich and colorful that the summaries narrated will not take away from living his magical realism. A must for any lover of Latin American literature.

Very good introduction to Marquez

The audio is clear but the narration moves a bit fast, although not too bad. Otherwise, this is a very good introduction to Gabriel Garcia Marquez.