The opening sentence from Gabriel García Márquez’s masterwork, One Hundred Years of Solitude, reverberates with readers all around the world: 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.
This sentence introduces the reader to a story full of symbolism and depth. The novel’s thematic undercurrents are expertly established in the juxtaposition of a sentimental recollection of childhood with the somber reality of impending execution.
A tragic contradiction is created between the carefree ice exploration and the seriousness of facing a firing squad, implying the deep themes of time’s cyclical nature, loneliness, and solitude that run throughout the story.
About One Hundred Years of Solitude
Cien años de soledad, known in English as One Hundred Years of Solitude, is a novel written by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez in 1967. The story follows the Buendía family across several generations, with a particular emphasis on the town of Macondo, which was established by the patriarch José Arcadio Buendía.
Many people consider the novel Márquez’s best work and credit it as a groundbreaking example of magical realism. One Hundred Years of Solitude has been translated into 46 languages and sold over 50 million copies since its first publication, according to The Economist. The novelist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982.
Netflix adaptation
As reported by The Guardian, Rodrigo García Barcha, Gabriel García Márquez’s son, revealed on March 6, 2019, that Netflix had secured the rights to adapt One Hundred Years of Solitude into a television series.
The synopsis of the series on IMDb reads:
“In the timeless town of Macondo, seven generations of the Buendía family navigate love, oblivion and the inescapability of their past and their fate.”
A teaser for Netflix‘s adaptation of the celebrated novel was released lately. The trailer presents the vast story to the audience and, most remarkably, opens with the famous quote from García Márquez’s book, which sets the tone for the grand story that follows.
The trailer features Aureliano Babilonia reading from the diary of Melquiades. Moreover, there are scenes showing José Arcadio Buendía and Úrsula Iguarán trying to flee from their family’s curse. The show will debut soon, as per Netflix; a precise release date has not yet been disclosed.
One Hundred Years of Solitude: director and cast
Directed by Laura Mora and Alex García López, the Netflix adaptation is set in Colombia and has been filmed entirely in Spanish. As confirmed by the trailer, the confirmed cast for One Hundred Years of Solitude includes Claudio Cataño portraying Colonel Aureliano Buendía, Jerónimo Barón as the young Aureliano Buendía, Marco González playing José Arcadio Buendía, Leonardo Soto portraying José Arcadio’s son, Susana Morales as Úrsula Iguarán, Ella Becerra as Petronila, Carlos Suaréz playing Aureliano Iguarán, Moreno Borja as Melquiades, and Santiago Vásquez portraying the adolescent Aureliano Buendía.
One Hundred Years of Solitude: plot
One Hundred Years of Solitude recounts the saga of the Buendía family across seven generations in the fictional town of Macondo. The story begins with the founding of Macondo by José Arcadio Buendía and Úrsula Iguarán, who leave their hometown after a dispute.
The town becomes a hub of extraordinary events and isolation, visited only by gypsies who introduce new inventions and knowledge to the townsfolk.
As Macondo evolves, it becomes entangled in Colombian politics, and prosperity turns to tragedy when the Colombian army massacres striking plantation workers, an event mirroring the true story of 1928’s Banana Massacre.
As Aureliano deciphers a prophetic manuscript left by the mysterious gypsy Melquíades, he learns of the family’s doomed fate, coinciding with the destruction of Macondo described in the novel.
The Netflix adaptation will air 16 episodes.
