30 pages • 1 hour read
The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World
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Background
Authorial Context: Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez, a Colombian novelist, journalist, and screenwriter, is one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. García Márquez is believed to be one of the pioneers of magical realism, a literary genre that intertwines magical and realistic elements. Historically, García Márquez is one of the most famous Latin American writers, and he is well-known for his vivid imagery and unique characters. He has received several awards during and after his life, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. His most famous work, One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad), was published in 1967 and is regarded as a masterpiece of modern literature. His 1985 work, Love in the Time of Cholera (El amor en los tiempos del cólera), is also regarded as a classic work of literature.
Born on March 6, 1927, García Márquez was raised by his maternal grandparents in the rural town of Aracataca, Colombia. His life with his grandfather, a veteran who fought in the Thousand Days War, profoundly impacted his outlook on life and his literary work. García Márquez studied law at the National University of Colombia in Bogota but did not finish his degree. Instead, he left the university to pursue journalism, working for several newspapers in Colombia. Eventually, he became a correspondent for El Espectador. It was at this newspaper that García Márquez discovered his love for writing fiction and began to work on his first novel, Leaf Storm (1955).
In addition to “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,” García Márquez penned other short stories within the magical realism genre, such as “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” (1968) and “Death Constant Beyond Love” (1970). Like “The Handsomest Drowned Man,” these stories use natural symbolism and imagery to explore themes of transformation, humanity, and death. García Márquez continued to write until his death in 2014 at age 87.
Literary Context: Magical Realism
Magical realism is a literary genre in which the author integrates mystical or fantastical elements into a realistic setting and worldview. These elements don’t significantly alter the story’s logic and rationality. As a result, works of magical realism unearth magic in the everyday and celebrate the potential for transcendence amid the ordinary.
The term “magical realism” was first coined by Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier in the 1940s. Carpentier noted that magical realism is a notable characteristic of postmodernism in Latin American writing. However, magical realism can be associated with and found within the writings of cultures all around the world. From Gabriel García Márquez to Salman Rushdie (author of the 1981 novel Midnight’s Children), magical realism is an international genre.
As a genre, magical realism is unique because it pushes the boundaries of realism and the fantastic. The ordinary world is placed in direct contact with extraordinary elements, creating a careful balance that makes these odd features seem natural or less jarring to the reader. Typically, these stories are based in a realistic setting like a small town or an average city. Magical elements are often introduced in the form of characters—ghosts, talking animals, or animated objects, for example—and serve as a catalyst for the more realistic characters in the piece. In postmodernist tradition, the human characters are often deeply flawed and struggle to come to terms with their ordinary life when introduced to these extraordinary elements.
When writing magical realism, authors employ a variety of strategies to help ground their story within reality. Many writers choose to include elements of symbolism and use dreamlike diction and imagery when detailing the events of their story. Oftentimes, magical realism breaks standard formal rules, incorporating elements of oral tradition, rather than adhering strictly to the written form. For example, rather than using quotation marks to denote dialogue, the author may choose to incorporate it into the prose of a paragraph, implying that it is spoken by providing the reader with the necessary context.
Magical realism is often used to explore complex issues surrounding identity, society, and cultural history. As a genre, it forces readers to come to terms with their own beliefs of what is possible. It makes readers confront the imaginary, emotive, and the real, all on the same stage simultaneously. As such, magical realism has become an excellent tool for helping writers and readers explore personal experiences on a universal stage; the genre enables people to share their stories of trauma, grief, or loss in a way that is safe and available to others.
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