No Magic, Just Reality

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While most of the world lauds Gabriel García Márquez as a literary genius, those from his hometown of Aracataca (on which Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude is based), feel little more than an abiding resentment. The author was in a position to help the town—many of its residents don’t have access to clean water—but did nothing:

García Márquez approved final blueprints for [a García Márquez] museum from his home in Mexico City but provided no other input or financial or public support. He never even visited. He left Aracataca no public works, no schools, no foundation—nothing for his hometown in will, decree, or action.

Kelly Lynn Thomas reads, writes, and sometimes sews in Pittsburgh, PA. Her creative work has appeared in Sou’wester, Thin Air Magazine, Heavy Feather Review, metazen, and others, and she received her MFA in Creative Writing from Chatham University. She is hopelessly obsessed with Star Wars and can always be found with a large mug of tea. She also runs the very small Wild Age Press. Read more at kellylynnthomas.com. More from this author →