Gabriel Garcia Marquez Looks at Old Age and Helps You Do the Same

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, one of the fundamental pillars of Latin American magical realism. His novels and short stories have inspired a generation of writers and readers to soar to the heights of their imaginations, and with great success. His latest novel, Memoirs of My Melancholy Whores, is not that book, but it is no less powerful in its execution.

All at once this short novel seems to be Marquez's note to tell us goodbye and his note to tell us he isn't going anywhere. The tale of a journalist who has just turned ninety, in an effort to be happy he turns to his favorite madam and asks for one last conquest in his old age. She obliges him by placing in his room the most beautiful of virgins. She is so perfect and so beautiful that the journalist cannot even bring himself to disturb her in her sleep. And so begins his love affair with a prostitute he never even wakes up.

He creates a refined fantasy world with this sleeping prostitute, hanging paintings, playing refined music, and reading her books. Soon he is in the throes of the deepest love of his life. He longs to be with her all the time, but realizes that the reality of whom she may be; compared to the fantasy he has created of her may be very different things.

Then tragedy strikes the brothel a murder occurs and the place is shut down. Separated from his love the journalist goes nearly mad, until finally he gets a phone call from the madam telling him that he will have the chance to be with his love again. A chance he willingly takes.

Marquez deals with the ravages and glories of age in this tale. Here is this old man who feels that his body is falling apart, who is constantly full of the certain dread that he will die, and that seems to want nothing more than to sleep and write and rest. But, his editorials are love letters for his sleeping prostitute, he is full of joy and memory of a lush life, and for the first time in his life he feels that he has true love.