Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87 • Hacker News Board

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#131

Post by jacques_chester » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 12:07 PM UTC

monjaro wrote: post #97

CamperBob2 wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that must be why entire philosophy courses are based on Borges. Stoner lit.

I was considering phrasing my comment as "conversations between stoned philosophy students", so yes, that sounds about right. Not to mention the fact that a philosophy course about Borges will likely be examining the work of the philosophers Borges was referencing. I've yet to see anyone make the claim that Borges originated any of the important philosophical ideas in his stories. Edit: Just to back this up a little…

> I've yet to see anyone make the claim that Borges originated any of the important philosophical ideas in his stories.

The publication of The Garden of Forking Paths predates Hugh Everett's PhD on the "Many Worlds" interpretation by 15 years.

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#132

Post by spodek » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 12:26 PM UTC

rjtavares wrote: post #7

“Many years later, in front of the firing squad, colonel Aureliano Buendía would remember that distant afternoon his father took him to see ice." Best opening line of a book ever. RIP.

I've been collecting great opening lines to books. This line has topped the list -- not that I ranked them, but I put it first, followed by "It was inevitable. The scent of bitter almonds always reminded Dr. Juvenal Urbino of the fate of unrequited love." from Love in the Time of Cholera.

If you know of others that are missing, let me know: http://joshuaspodek.com/great-opening-lines-to-books

On a note of remembrance, many years ago, when I lived in Paris, my friend volunteered at the English Language Library for the Blind there. She told me they valued American accents in the readings there and asked if I would read a book for them. I agreed and decided on Love in the Time of Cholera. The librarian suggested starting with a shorter book, but I loved the book so much I couldn't pick another.

Only after starting it did I realize how much longer it takes to read a book out loud than silently and how much time I had volunteered for them. Still, I finished the book. I still wonder if my reading is still there. I recorded it onto cassette tapes.

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#133

Post by sergiotapia » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 12:32 PM UTC

selimthegrim wrote: post #65

mhartl wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gracias por esto. Entre otras cosas, la traducción de inglés no puede capturar la sutileza de "había de recordar" o "conocer el hielo". En inglés Aureliano Buendía podía ver el hielo, pero en español podía conocerlo .

"had cause to remember" and "introduce him to ice"?

It's just not the same. :'(

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#134

Post by jortiz81 » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 12:51 PM UTC

Many people in the US, when asked about Colombia, think of negative things; drugs, etc. Also, down in Colombia, the Caribbean coast was often looked down upon by those from the capital -- seen mainly as uneducated people with strange customs and a different way of talking. Gabriel Garcia Marquez uplifted not only the image of Colombia world-wide, but also the image and culture of the Caribbean coast. I am proud that my family is from that region and he made me proud to tell the world that I am Colombian. May he rest in Peace.

Also, I think this quote (from an article in NPR) sums up why he's so admired in Latin America:

"Garcia Marquez is speaking about all the people who are marginal to history, who have not had a voice. He gives a voice to all those who died. He gives a voice to all those who are not born yet. He gives a voice to Latin America."

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#135

Post by HeyLaughingBoy » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 1:38 PM UTC

Trufa wrote: post #121

simonsarris wrote: post #15

Oh my. A paragon of magical realism and my second favorite author. Rest in peace. Liking storytelling alone is sometimes not enough to like Marquez, you have to love language too. He uses (some might say abuses) language to impact his storytelling, often using incredibly long, convoluted sentences to weave his narrative. It can be hard to follow, sometimes intentionally, but I find it enormously satisfying to read an…

This has got to be one of the most impossible to translate Spanish writing authors ever.

By the end of the first page of Love in the Time of Cholera I was already wondering how amazing the book must be in its original Spanish and how much could be lost in translation.

One Hundred Years of Solitude made me decide to improve my Spanish so I could read it in the orginal language. Still haven't yet :-(

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#136

Post by EvanKelly » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 2:15 PM UTC

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #135

Trufa wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has got to be one of the most impossible to translate Spanish writing authors ever.

By the end of the first page of Love in the Time of Cholera I was already wondering how amazing the book must be in its original Spanish and how much could be lost in translation. One Hundred Years of Solitude made me decide to improve my Spanish so I could read it in the orginal language. Still haven't yet :-(

Gregory Rabassa does a phenomenal job with the translation.

My spanish is decent enough to have read a few of Marquez's books in the original language, but not good enough to appreciate them as much as I did in English.

I'd recommend starting with "El Colonel que no Tiene que Escribe". It was used in my AP Spanish class in high school and is short enough so you don't get frustrated with the slow going of reading in a new language.

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#137

Post by Trufa » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 2:42 PM UTC

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #135

Trufa wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has got to be one of the most impossible to translate Spanish writing authors ever.

By the end of the first page of Love in the Time of Cholera I was already wondering how amazing the book must be in its original Spanish and how much could be lost in translation. One Hundred Years of Solitude made me decide to improve my Spanish so I could read it in the orginal language. Still haven't yet :-(

I didn't mean to sound snob though sorry if it came through like that, I would definitely recommend to read them either in Spanish or English, however you can enjoy them the most. It's just that you'll have to accept that some thing just get lost in translation, I mean, even if your mother tongue is Spanish, you'll miss things.

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#138

Post by djKianoosh » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 2:45 PM UTC

dasil003 wrote: post #116

brunorsini wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really. "to see ice" in English is more dubious than the phrase in Spanish, as you don't really know whether or not the character is doing it for the first time. A translation closer in meaning would be "to get to know ice".

This whole debate is why the translator chose "discover". It's a bit awkward because it can be interpreted two ways, but in one of the ways it carries the connotation of seeing for the first time, without the lengthy phrase "to get to know" or "to see for the first time" disrupting the rhythm of the prose. The crux of the problem, of course, is that the word "meet" in English only applies to people.

"The crux of the problem, of course, is that the word "meet" in English only applies to people."

Says who? The last time I met with danger, I won! ;-)

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#139

Post by vanessarp » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 3:26 PM UTC

maceo wrote: post #76

In his autobiography he tells a story I love. While writing 100 Years of Solitude he listened to The Beatles' A Hard Day Night album on repeat. After the book was published he received a letter from a group of Mexican college students who asked him if he was listening to A Hard Day's Night when writing the book, because they felt the album in his words.

What a nice story, thanks for sharing. Which autobiography is this one you are talking about? I loved 100 Years of Solitude...

Re: Gabriel García Márquez, Literary Pioneer, Dies at 87

#140

Post by wfn » Fri, Apr 18, 2014, 3:45 PM UTC

simonsarris wrote: post #38

igravious wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go on so. I'll bite. First favourite author? (If we can even rate and rank so crudely.)

I sorta regret writing that in retrospect because its a somewhat reply-bait thing to write. But I was thinking of Bohumil Hrabal as my most dear author. In some respects they are very different, in that Hrabal doesn't quite have the same magical realism bent. But in their writing itself, in their structure, they are often similar: Hrabal also favors extremely long sentences. Hrabal's book Dancing Lessons for the Adva…

Any particular recommendations what to read for someone unfamiliar with Bohumil Hrabal? I just realized I've seen a film based on one of his novels of the same title, 'Closely Watched Trains' (a great film, by the way.)

Interested in any suggestions whatsoever.