If you’re making lists of the greatest authors of the 20th century it’s likely that the name Gabriel García Márquez will be near the top. Whilst it would probably also include Orwell, Greene, Joyce, Fitzgerald and Woolf, ‘Gabo’ is arguably the most loved novelist who doesn’t write in the English language. One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera are up there with the most popular novels of all time. In 1982, he was awarded The Nobel Prize for Literature.
In Justin Webster’s Gabo: The Creation of Gabriel García Márquez he looks at the author’s life from childhood to his death. There are interviews with his family and friends as well as fans such as Bill Clinton and former Columbian president César Gaviria. There’s also some terrific archive footage including an amusing interview with Márquez and Fidel Castro. Whilst he was friends with Castro, using his influence to get journalists out of prison, he was not a supporter of his politics.
Gabo is a fascinating documentary which will intrigue anyone who is interested in literature, but don’t be put-off if that’s not your bag. It’s also a really interesting portrait of a man who led a truly remarkable life. He lived through turbulent times and spent much of his working life as a journalist in often less than free conditions, even having to flee his native Columbia. Gabo: The Creation of Gabriel García Márquez is a great insight into the life of one of the greatest authors of our lifetime.
Gabo: The Creation of Gabriel García Márquez is screening tonight, Monday and Wednesday at Bertha Dochouse.
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