Reading Macondo: the Works of Gabriel García Márquez - Universidad de los Andes

Gabriel García Márquez is a Colombian writer, who won the Literature Nobel Prize in 1982. He has been recognised as one of the world’s leading writers in the second half of the 20th century.

His works have been translated into many languages, been adapted for TV and film, and inspired many subsequent works of art.

The main goal of this course is to explore the literary contributions of Gabriel García Márquez to world literature, through five of his first few works. These are set in (or near) the fictional village of Macondo - a town inspired by the author’s birthplace, Aracataca. We will study:

• Leaf Storm - La Hojarasca

• No One Writes to the Colonel - El Coronel No Tiene Quien Le Escriba

• In Evil Hour - La Mala Hora

• Big Mama’s Funeral - Los Funerales de la Mamá Grande

• One Hundred Years of Solitude - Cien Años De Soledad

Starting from a close reading of the texts, we will study different narrative dimensions such as:

• the author’s life in relation to his oeuvre;

• the idiosyncratic use of language;

• and the role of time and space in Garcia Marquez’s poetics.

You will discover why he won international fame with 100 Years of Solitude, which remains a classic today.

Your guides for this course are experts in analysing the works of Gabriel García Márquez, from the Department of Literature at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá.

The department trains writers, editors and teachers, and will bring you a unique perspective from Gabriel García Márquez’s native land.

¡Bienvenidos al curso Leer a Macondo!

El principal objetivo del curso es explorar las contribuciones literarias de Gabriel García Márquez a la literatura universal a través de sus primeras cinco obras.

Todos los videos en el curso se encuentran en español con subtítulos en inglés. Al final de cada actividad podrás encontrar todos los textos en español en un documento pdf. Tu participación en los foros podrá ser realizada tanto en español como en inglés.

¡Esperamos que sea una experiencia enriquecedora y que disfrutemos juntos de las obras de Gabriel García Márquez!.