Considered a monumental achievement in world literature, Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez’s novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” has moved and astonished readers for decades. The Netflix adaptation of the book, which premieres Dec. 11, offers a new interpretation of this classic story while raising questions as to whether the medium of television can do justice to a narrative that many consider to be unfilmable. 

 “The novel tells in a captivating style and eloquent language the incredible tale of the Buendía family over a hundred-year period,” said Jacqueline Bixler, a Virginia Tech expert on Latin American theatre, literature, and culture. “It draws its reader in from the very first sentence: ‘Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.’” 

 What has kept Gabriel García Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” relevant 57 years after its first publication?  

“Like the plays of Shakespeare and the Bible, ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ is timeless and universally relevant.  The novel can be read as an allegory of the Bible, of mythology, or of the history of Latin America, and, by extension, that of the world. Primary among the many themes that appear in the novel are love, discovery, science, colonialism, political violence, corruption, memory, and, of course, solitude.”  

How would you describe its place in world literature?  

“’One Hundred Years of Solitude’ always appears in lists of the top 10 novels of the 20th century. It has been translated into nearly 50 languages and has sold over 50 million copies. Indeed, it is the most translated Spanish-language literary work after ‘Don Quixote.’ Other writers have tried to imitate his unique style, known as Magical Realism, but, in my opinion, no one managed to blend the magical with the real to the point that they become indistinguishable or to create such a complex allegory of the human experience. In other words, ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ is one of a kind.” 

What challenges would you say exist in adopting this novel to the screen? 

“García Márquez’ book is long and very complex. I have a hard time believing that all of the plot lines and character relationships can be condensed into a television series. I wonder, for example, how viewers will manage to keep straight the seven generations of male characters, all named either José Arcadio or Aureliano, without the benefit of the family tree that prefaces the novel. Furthermore, I fear that the eloquence and beauty of the language used by the author will be lost unless the voice of the narrator heard in the trailer continues throughout the series.”  

What would your hopes be for the Netflix adaptation?  

“I've seen films made from other novels by García Márquez and felt that they failed to capture the richness of the written text. I was, however, pleased to learn that the series is being made in Colombia, in Spanish, and that nearly all of the actors are Colombian. This will at least serve to remind the viewers that the novel is about Colombia and about post-colonial Latin America at large.” 

How has the novel affected you personally? 

“I only fully understood the power and grip of the novel when I included it in a Humanities course taught in English. One of my students, a football player who was born in Puerto Rico and not fully fluent in English or Spanish, was not doing particularly well in class until we started reading ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude,’ at which point he started to come to each class eager to participate in our discussion. I was really moved when he told me at the end of the semester that ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ was the first novel he had ever read and that he couldn't wait to read more. In short, ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ is the kind of novel that makes readers out of non-readers and leaves them wanting to read more.” 

About Bixler 
Jacqueline Bixler is Alumni Distinguished Professor of Spanish Emerita in Virginia Tech’s Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures. She serves as editor of the “Latin American Theatre Review,” a journal devoted to the study and dissemination of Latin American and Latinx theatre. Read more about her here. 

 Schedule an interview      
To schedule an interview, contact Mike Allen in the media relations office at mike.allen@vt.edu or 540-400-1700.  

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