influentialism

__One Hundred Years of Solitude__ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez has had a widespread impact on religion, culture, and the lives of many people. However, the most interesting impact the book has made is on pop culture. It seems strange that a book that has been compared to the bible would be important to the progression of pop culture; however, I’ll provide a few examples that will put Marquez on the same level as Madonna, Steven Spielberg, and the Simpsons. The first example I found of Marquez’s pop culture influence was in the song Peng! 33 which has been recorded by both Iron & Wine, and Stereolab. In the Stereolab version, they take a lyric from page 8 of the book, in which Marquez writes, “Right there across the river there are all kinds of magical instruments while we keep on living like donkeys.” Though the song says “monkeys” instead of “donkeys”, the connection is still visible. The song’s theme, which is much about how the world is full of magical and incredible things that are missed if you sit around like a monkey and/or donkey may provide some insight into what the book itself is actually about. Here’s the Stereolab version (though personally I think the Iron & Wine version matches the lyrics much better…listen to it if you get the chance): media type="custom" key="2788461"

Other important pop culture achievements include: Bill Clinton saying that __One Hundred Years of Solitude__ is his favorite book, a street in East Los Angeles is named after Marquez, and more recently, his 1985 book __Love in the Time of Cholera__ has been made into a movie. Here is a trailer from the film:

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By: Harrison Browning