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The General in His Labyrinth
 
 
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The General in His Labyrinth (Paperback)

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Author), Edith Grossman (Translator)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 18.95
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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Written in cogent, measured prose, moving to a somber internal rhythm, this short, historically based novel depicts the last days of Simon Bolivar, aka the Liberator of South America. Aged 46 in 1830, prematurely aged, weary and moribund, the General (as he is referred to throughout), once the hero and president of the republic of nations he freed from Spanish domination, is now past his glory. He is wandering destitute, having renounced the presidency and announced his imminent exile--an act he keeps postponing in the hopes that he will be returned to power. Widely reviled, the object of assassination attempts, suffering from chronic insomnia and daily fevers, the General is cynical, bitter and mercurial, frustrated by his failing powers but unable to face his impending death ("How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!" he cries). In flashbacks that integrate capsule portraits of other historical figures important in Bolivar's life, Garcia Marquez invests the narrative with substance and veracity, but finds little opportunity to unleash his remarkable imagination; thus the novel lacks the incandescent quality of One Hundred Years of Solitude and other of his works of magical realism. The author himself regrets the lack of humor in what he refers to as "the horror of this book." Readers will be impressed, but not beguiled. 150,000 first printing; first serial to the New Yorker; BOMC main selection.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Unknown Binding edition.


Review

“A fascinating tour de force and a moving tribute to an extraordinary man” --Margaret Atwood, The New York Times Book Review

“A distinguished book. . . . García Márquez splendidly presents his image of Latin America and of a great man redux.” --Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A stunning portrait, convincing and poignant. . . . A tour de force.” --San Francisco Chronicle

“Passage after passage shines with the brilliance of Mr. García Márquez. . . . He has invented some of the magic characters of our age. His general, however, is not only magic, but real.” --The Wall Street Journal

“As usual, García Márquez’s craftsmanship is nothing less than superb. His General’s story is tragic; his telling of it is luminous.” --The Dallas Morning News
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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars A moving, underappreciated book, Jul 6 2004
What struck me most about the book is what a rich, all-encompassing view of The Liberator it presents. Marquez never flinches as he catalogs the contradictory deeds and impulses that make up every human being. We learn that the General sleeps with young girls and that his unknown sins are so objectionable the priest to whom Bolivar confesses refuses to preside over his services. But we also learn of the General's self-destructive generosity and the dream of a united Latin American for which he vainly gave his life. Marquez never tries to resolve these inconsistencies; instead, he trusts the reader to be intelligent and mature enough to recognize the complexities of the General as universal. Because the book focuses on a narrow slice of time--the last 6 months or so of the General's life--this intricate, thoughtful character study is also a meditation on our inability to confront death and the colossal failures that dot every life.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A Master Work, Jan 22 2004
By J. A Magill (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: General In His Labyrinth (Paperback)
Marques remains an international literary treasure, a writer of passion and eloquence whose work defines his generation. Many readers have found his work daunting and given up, but those who persevered discovered a world where magic and passion reigned. With Oprah Winery's choice of Marques's most famous work, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" for her book club, I can only hope that readers will not stop there and will continue on to his other works. "The General and His Labyrinth" would make an excellent stop for those wanting to further explore this author's imagination.

The work follows Simon Bolivar, the liberator of his South America, as he wanders towards an early grave, destitute and nearly friendless. Through this lens Marques examines the idea of loss, futility, dreaming, desire, friendship, and humanity. As a man who achieves so much but ends with so little, Bolivar's life makes an excellent cautionary metaphor for modern society. Readers will find little of the humor this author so cleverly places in his other work, but his style remains both unique and haunting. Marques here builds a complex and perplexing world and when the reader becomes confused, it is because that was the authors goal.

"General" is quite a bit shorter than most of Marques's other works, but his powerful language and masterful imagery rings out from the page. Bolivar has a long and painful trip to take and you will not regret deciding to join him.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Bolivar's last days, Feb 16 2003
By Denis Benchimol Minev "Amazonia" (Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) - See all my reviews
This review is from: General In His Labyrinth (Paperback)
In this book Garcia Marquez describes, using facts and fiction, the last days of Simon Bolivar, known to many countries in South America as the Liberator. In fact, Garcia Marquez generally refers to Bolivar as Liberator in the book.

I really enjoyed the read, as GM paints a picture of someone who once was powerful and begins to degenerate, both in terms of power and body. He re-lives many of Bolivar's loves, while the general becomes more and more disheartened by the lack of love the people show for him. He reminices about the times when the arrival of Bolivar in any city was cause for tremendous celebration. We almost join the general on his last few days, as one former lover, who once was young and beautiful, joins him, and we enjoy the loyalty of his last few warriors, who refuse to leave him.

It is definitely a departure from GM's usual novels, but worth a try especially for the historical nature of Bolivar and the novel. I also read "The October of the Patriarch", which seems to touch on the same issues (of a powerful man getting old and weak), but I thought this book was better because of the realism GM brings into it, which Latin America's prime independence figure as protagonist.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A twisting and winding maze of enchantment
The General in His Labyrinth has a good plot but it is sort of different. It is about an old General, who just happened to be the retired president. Read more
Published on Dec 13 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars A twisting and winding maze of enchantment
The General in His Labyrinth has a good plot but it is sort of different. It is about an old General, who just happened to be the retired president. Read more
Published on Dec 13 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat interesting but slow moving novel
This is the first and only Gabriel Garcia Marquez book that I've read to date, and I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed by the work. Read more
Published on Aug 20 2002 by W. Sean McLaughlin

4.0 out of 5 stars The end days
Master novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez comes through again with another winner with his portrayl of a dying Simon Bolivar. Read more
Published on Aug 7 2002 by Enrique Torres

3.0 out of 5 stars Anticlimactic.
Maybe G.G.M. should have given it up after Love in the Time of Cholera. It was a fine novel that attempted to bring together the disparate strands of the man's style into a more... Read more
Published on Jul 31 2002 by Angry Mofo

3.0 out of 5 stars Simon Bolivar's Last Days disappoints
I am going through all of Marquez for at least the second time, for some a third.

I was troubled on the first reading of The General and my second reading confirmed this... Read more

Published on Jun 1 2002 by GEORGE R. FISHER

5.0 out of 5 stars Larger Than Life
One of my good friends is the person whose opinion I trust most when it comes to books and literature. Read more
Published on May 23 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars A metaphoric trip down the road to nowhere
This book is based on the factual story of Simón Bolívar's own journey out of the heart of present-day Colombia towards the Atlantic coast. Read more
Published on May 9 2002 by Matthew Hovious

4.0 out of 5 stars The Labrynth of our Minds
This is a story about general Simon Bolivar as he travels from port to portreminiscing about the people and events that he has encountered in his lifetime. Read more
Published on Dec 11 2001 by Seamus Ford

4.0 out of 5 stars Labrynth By Seamus And Aaron
This is a story about general Simon Bolivar as he travels from port to port reminiscing about people and events that he has encountered in his life time. Read more
Published on Dec 7 2001 by Seamus Ford

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