Gracias Gabo

The first book of Gabriel Garcia Marquez that I read was One Hundred Years of Solitude. I read this a long time ago, and my memory of it now is hazy. All I remember is the struggle between old and new ways of life; of alienation and solitude. 

What is also notable of this novel is the use of magic realism, the technique by which certain details in an otherwise normal world operate in magic. As pointed out in The Guardian also, I will not forget the moment in this novel when the blood of a dead son travels all through the village to end up at the feet of his mother.

The themes dominating the story are love and lust, war and revolution, riches and poverty, youth and senility; the variety of life, the endlessness of death, the search for peace and truth. All these and more, yet there is a play of real and magic and they weave through a language that is exceptionally clear in style throughout the book. After reading the book, I was left in awe as to how Marquez was able to successfully tackle it all in simple prose. 

"There is always something left to love," yes, in the most hopeless situations, is a quote from the book that I always bring along with me. 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez has followed me through. I have always loved clear prosaic language, that's why. I admired him so much that I named my elder son after him or foremost his nickname, Gabo. Since no other name can have the nickname as Gabo, I named him Gabriel, which could also refer to one of the archangels. Several times, many people would say why I nicknamed him Gabo when the common nickname of Gabriel is Gabe or Gabby. So, this is the story behind my elder son's name, Gabo. :) 

I bought his other books, too, including his memoir, Living to Tell the Tale. I haven't read this one yet, and now, with his passing, I feel I need to. I want to thank him for his stories that help us make sense of the real with real accounts mixed with a play of the imagination through magic. 

I join the world in saying, Gracias Gabo!