The+Approach+to+100+year+of+Solitud

Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s background is important because it reflects many of his ideas in his works. For instance, Gabriel’s grandmother’s story telling taught him that “It is possible to get away with anything as long as you make is believable.” This influenced __One Hundred Years of Solitude,__ in which a story is told about a mythical town of Macondo. Growing up, Gabriel experienced a time known as “La Violencia”, which was a twenty year period in Columbian history in which 200,000 people died at the hands of Liberal and Conservative guerilla bands, vigilantes, local authorities, and the army. In the midst of this violence, Gabriel began his career as a journalist and the endless cycle of “La Violencia” influenced his work. His central themes include concerns about the origins of violence and its effects on society. He constantly stresses importance of developing alternative sources of history. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s biography also states he is a socialist and his ultimate objective is the promotion of human rights and peaceful existence. Because Gabriel grew up in Columbia, the novel appears to relate to Columbian and Latin American history. Although __One Hundred Years of Solitude__ represents mythical pre-conquest times, he makes sure to relate actually historical events and people such as the Spanish Conquest, Western imperialism, native Indians and black slaves. Since Gabriel grew up during a violent time in Columbia, this perspective contributed to his writing in __One Hundred Years of Solitude__. Although Gabriel writes about a mythical town, he relates it to actual historical happenings in order to make it believable. This information is important because it helps us understand his approach to __One Hundred Years of Solitude__ and how he deals with historical themes and the importance of historical consciousness in many of his new novels.
 * Link: http://www.loyno.edu/history/journal/1994-5/Estorino.htm **