20 Comments
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Michael Arturo's avatar

Beautiful, every word. Thanks.

Danni Levy's avatar

Loved this. Maybe my favorite -" I’ve never really been interested in any idea which can’t withstand many years of neglect.” - Maybe. Thank you for the book suggestion.

Declan Fay's avatar

This is genuinely fantastic. I'd forgotten how great that opening sentence of 100 years is. My writing teacher read it to us in our first ever class, then asked how many of us had read the book. No one put up their hand, and his eyes filled with tears and he said, "I'm so envious that you still have that experience ahead of you.

Karan Kapoor's avatar

Sounds like such a wonderful teacher!

Jon hamp's avatar

Thank you. So

Much to learn!

Jason Derr's avatar

This is Wisdom! Thank you for sharing. Lot's to think about.

Stephen Lloyd Webber's avatar

The one on neglect — "I've never really been interested in any idea which can't withstand many years of neglect" — is such a necessary counterpoint to the productivity and optimization culture we're swimming in. It creates unnecessary anxiety and actively leads people astray by keeping them busy with what feels urgent, which is almost never what matters.

On the grandmother vs. MFA point, yeah, why not both? Without having to run some kind of formal gauntlet, you might not even recognize what makes your grandmother's storytelling so powerful.

Mystical Country's avatar

Thank you thank you thank you

Rochelle Jewel Shapiro's avatar

Really helpful

Rosalind's avatar

This is so great, thank you so much. Everything must be based in reality, such a good piece of advice. I love García Marquéz' work.

Becs Pearson's avatar

Thank you SO MUCH this - what a fascinating read - I must buy a copy of the book. He is the man who made me want to write. Reading 100 years of solitude changed my life. It opened up so much possibility!

Karan Kapoor's avatar

Yes indeed! Have you read Chronicles of a Death Foretold yet? It’s a perfect novella!

Becs Pearson's avatar

No. I. Have. Not! I already have two tabs up with news books to read from this article… is it time for another?! 😅😁

Karan Kapoor's avatar

Oh yes. I’m not exaggerating when I say every sentence in that book is perfect.

Return to Poetry's avatar

So timely! I'm rereading Love in the Time of Cholera right now and as always, I'm blown away by this man. His writing is immortal.

Karan Kapoor's avatar

Love in the Time of Cholera is my favorite book of all time. Brilliant thru and thru!

Return to Poetry's avatar

It’s pretty incredible.

K.'s avatar

Fascinating read. I've been reading another book trilogy that reminds me of the multi-generational drama in One Hundred Years of Solitude. It's the Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. I haven't finished either to make any reasonable comparisons though lol.

Waving From A Distance's avatar

"In an era of content calendars and bi-weekly newsletters and AI drafts generated in seconds, Márquez is a standing rebuke. The most important phase of creation looks like nothing is happening. We’re systematically destroying our capacity for it." AMEN!

On a side note, I understand the use of codes to comment, but having to use them is a real pain in the a**. Can you tell me why you think it necessary? Thanks.

Kate Gonzalez Long's avatar

#7 basically says “Be a man with a wife (or a mother ans sister if you’re Thereau) who sublimates her needs to yours.” Yep.