Trump demolishing the East Wing of the White House brings to mind various imploding edifices in lit: “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” “Fall of the House of Usher,” and “Princess and Curdie.”
Tag Archives: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Imploding Edifices, in D.C. and in Lit
Garcia Marquez on Erasing History
As the GOP attempts to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 insurrection, an erased massacre in “100 Years of Solitude” comes to mind.
Love in the Time of Covid-19
For my 47th wedding anniversary, I reflect upon the concluding chapter of “Love in the Time of Cholera,” which seems only fitting.
Trump Reality: Puerto Rico a Success
Puerto Rico hurricane disaster, like the banana plantation massacre in “100 Years of Solitude,” has all but vanished from the airways.
Caught in a Town’s Suffocating Embrace
A student experiencing difficulty leaving rural Maryland, where she grew up, found her dilemma captured in “100 Years of Solitude.”
Food Is More Than Food for Esquivel
Esquivel captures the greater significance of food in “Like Water for Chocolate.” I also share a whiskey cake recipe and reflect on the magic in magical realism.
Magical Realism’s Special Powers
Magical realism defined and its significance discussed.
On the Carnivalesque in Magic Realism
Some argue that magical realism is inherently democratic and point to the carnival qualities of “100 Years of Solitude.” But carnival populism can push right as well as left.

