One Hundred Years of Solitude

I just finished reading One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In a small way, this book contributed to my decision to leave my former life behind and travel. Marquez wrote this novel in 18 uninterrupted months, after suddenly being inspired on a visit to his grandparents' home in Aracataca, Colombia. During this period, his wife had to sell the family car, pawn off their valuable household goods, and obtain loan after loan in order to support their family. Upon its publication in 1967, One Hundred Years of Solitude became an instant success and was quickly regarded as one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, setting Marquez's career on the path that would eventually lead him to the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. More than the novel itself, which is a history of the ficitional town of Macondo through the eyes of its most prominent family, the story of its creation inspired me to seek what I call 'divine inspiration', such as that which struck Marquez at his grandparents' home. Marquez has moved homes continously throughout his life, like many great artists and writers, having livied in different parts of Central and South America, Europe, and the US. Learning this encouraged me that my lack of a steady home, rather than be a disadvantage, can be a great opportunity to observe and seek inspration in the world.