The world of fiction has been a much darker place over the last decade without the presence of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Author of the epic 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' and winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, Garcia Marquez was absent from his most famous medium in his recent career and focused instead on journalism and his autobiography.
Fortunately, Garcia Marquez was nowhere near done with prose, returning to form with his new novel 'Memories of My Melancholy Whores.' A compelling and concise piece of work, Marquez proves even after 15 books he still has the skill and the spirit to tell an unforgettable story.
Marquez does not waste any time in his new work, bluntly summarizing in the first sentence: 'The year I turned 90, I wanted to give myself the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin.' His main character, a journalist and composer who has found little success in either profession, finds himself seeking one simple pleasure only to be so stunned by her sleeping beauty, he cannot bring himself to wake her.
The book proceeds to chart the year following his birthday as he revisits his life, thinking about his writing, relationships with women (all paid for) and the reality of living his life completely alone. All through the year, he continues a relationship with the nameless girl, who by never speaking or touching him becomes the love of his life.
In his short stories, Garcia Marquez uses fiction to cloak his poetic soul, and 'Melancholy Whores' is no different. He calls up multiple observations and ties them together with his fluid prose. With a main character suffering from the beginnings of senility, Garcia Marquez is able to elaborate on any thought, as a character who feels 'well compensated by the miracle of still being alive at my age' is inclined to dwell on his own thoughts.
'Melancholy Whores' is not a supernatural story like 'A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,' but Garcia Marquez still manages to fill it with the same imaginary sense, in particular with his relationship with the girl. She exists more in his imagination than in real life, and his romance exists somewhere between dreams and reality.
Marquez may be 10 years younger than his nameless narrator, but there are clearly autobiographical details worked into the story. His disdain for the younger staff at the newspaper he writes for likely displays his own attitudes, and his resigned comments about aging's physical effects are too direct not to come from experience.
This connection makes 'Melancholy Whores' strike a personal chord with readers. By the time the novel winds to a close, Marquez has formed a character who seems completely real and whose regrets are ones anyone approaching the end must feel. Marquez may have left a better legacy than his protagonist, but in his golden years he must certainly be sharing the same concerns.
'Melancholy Whores' is closer to Marquez's short stories than his novels in length'only 115 pages'but it is still a triumphant return to form. Marquez appears to get even better as the years go on. Hopefully, readers won't have to wait until Marquez himself turns 90 for his next book.
