Marquez's magical realism in these five books will give you Game of Thrones vibes!
'Game of Thrones' has been the rage ever since it was introduced. The adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s book series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ took the world by storm. Fantasy elements like dragons, sorceresses, white-walkers, dwarfs, and many more clubbed with an intricately woven plot line that borrowed realistic elements from Medieval Europe made the show an instant hit with the audiences. Combining the real with fantasy elements contributed to their popularity. However, Gabriel Garcia Marquez did it before it was cool!
Marquez is a Mexican author whose works have been translated widely and his first novella was published in 1955. Since then, he has championed the genre of magical realism wherein he combines elements of the physical world with fantastic ones, giving shape to a new reality. Here are five of his best books that will take you back to 'Game of Thrones'!
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One Hundred Years of Solitude
The book encompasses the story of the Buendia family and the fictional village of Macondo which was founded by the patriarch of the family, Jose Arcadio Buendia. Including gypsies, mystics, time travel, incest, massacres and the beginning and end of a civilization pioneered by a dysfunctional family, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a must read for every Literature lover. Marquez was also awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 for this book.
Pic credit: Penguin
Memories of My Melancholy Whores
A ninety year old narrator sits down to recall his life of ninety years. On his ninetieth birthday, he has a sexual encounter with a fourteen year old prostitute who he describes as having her ‘debut’. The man ends up falling in love with the girl and pens down his first ever experience of true love that he had at the age of ninety. Labelled as misogynistic by many, Marquez’s book creates and explores a new reality yet again.
Pic credit: Penguin
Leaf Storm
Set in the fictional village of Macondo, this novella by Marquez is the story of a narrator who saw his family taking in a doctor who made ceremonious appearances in his house. The man is severely hated by the entire village and is witnessed by three generations of the family; the father, the daughter and the grandson. Not knowing who or what he exactly is, all they can do is speculate.
Pic credit: Penguin
Of Love and Other Demons
A rabid dog bit Sierva Maria who is now believed to be possessed. She enters a church where Father Cayetano Delaura tends to her, only to end up falling in love with her. Ghosts, spirits, love, disease, superstition, obsession and other surreal experiences make up Marquez’s brilliant novel that you should definitely read!
Pic credit: Penguin
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
A murder is about to happen. The murderers themselves announce it and the entire town knows it; the motive, the murderers, the victim, the method and the time and day! In Marquez’s book set in a small town of Spain, the townsmen chronicle the murder of Santiago Nasar who allegedly ‘defiled’ a bride, Angela Vicario. When Angela did not bleed on her wedding night, the white bed sheet hanging in her balcony was clearly a threat to her and her family’s dignity. Her twin brothers, Pedro and Pablo set out to murder the culprit amidst a carnival in the city. Marquez’s narration, supernatural dreams and intuitions steal the show as the plot unfolds in the middle of a violent, gory, carnally motivated town.
Pic credit: Penguin
Also read: Books set on islands you must read, 5 novels by Cecilia Ahern that will change your perspective towards love and life
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