written word wednesday (on thursday)

okay so it's not wednesday, but really, it must be wednesday somewhere. i'm going with the same philosophy of "it's five o'clock somewhere" here. but really, books are so much cooler than drinking, so in your face jimmy buffet. and alan jackson. just put off celebrating thirsty thursday a few more minutes because written word wednesday is so not over yet.

anyway, this week's written word is gabriel garcia marquez's story "the handsomest drowned man in the world."

marquez is one of the pioneers of magical realism, definitely one of the coolest genres of literature ever created. magical realism as a literary genre originated in latin america, and it has close ties, at least aesthetically, with surrealism. exhibit a:

salvador dali, the temptation of st. anthony

this dali painting has clear realistic elements, like the horse and the elephants and the human figure, elements that we can recognize. however, dali blended, and largely overwhelmed, these "normal" elements with the supernatural and bizarre, like the stilt legs, the glowing palace-like structure being carried by the elephants, and the grotesque-ness of the rearing horse. this appears more like a dream, and is thus a representation of the rational mixed with the irrational, the welding together of the conscious and unconscious realms.

magical realism, and surrealism, aim to arrive at a deeper understanding of reality by blending the conscious and the unconscious, and also through the blending of realism with more magical elements, such as: extreme hyperbole, mystery, the outlandish and the fantastical, supernatural elements, an accord between the natural and the supernatural because of the acceptance of the supernatural, fatalism, and paradox, to name just a few. super long sentences, vivid descriptions, and outrageous occurrences combine with other magical elements to create this wonderful genre.

a mexican critic said, "if you can explain it, then it's not magical realism." and that's what makes it so great and, well, magical, to read and take in. marquez's story "the handsomest drowned man in the world" is a prime example of the genre, and also a great story by itself. it's about this tall dead man who washes ashore in a small coastal village. he is described as such: "not only was he the tallest, strongest, most virile, and best built man they had ever seen, but even though they were looking at him there was no room for him in their imagination." they name him esteban, significant because the first christian martyr was esteban, stoned to death and a true representation of faith, love, and mercy. (authors use esteban and steven as character names often to give their characters the same significance right off the bat.) the villagers admire him for his apparent sincerity and modesty and pride, and they return him to the sea after holding a grand funeral for him.

here's the last few sentences, to give you an idea and completely enthrall you so you're just as hooked on marquez and magical realism as i am:

"they let him go without an anchor so that he could come back if he wished and whenever he wished, and they all held their breath for the fraction of centuries the body took to fall into the abyss. they did not need to look at one another to realize that they were no longer all present, that they would never be. but they also knew that everything would be different from then on, that their houses would have wider doors, higher ceilings, and stronger floors so that esteban's memory could go everywhere without bumping into beams and so that no one in the future would dare whisper the big boob finally died, too bad, the handsome fool has finally died, because they were going to paint their house fronts gay colors to make esteban's memory eternal and they were going to break their backs digging for springs among the stones and planting flowers on the cliffs so that in future years at dawn the passengers on great liners would awaken, suffocated by the smell of gardens on the high seas, and the captain would have to come down from the bridge in his dress uniform, with his astrolabe, his pole stare, and his row of war medals and, pointing to the promontory of roses on the horizon, he would say in fourteen languages, look there, where the wind is so peaceful now that it's gone to sleep beneath the beds, over there, where the sun's so bright that the sunflowers don't know which way to turn, yes, over there, that's esteban's village."

the story is about being inspired and the need to discover everything that holds us back. it's also more, a reminder that our routines and mundane lives can be interrupted at any time with the fantastical, the beautiful, the un-ordinary, that it is completely necessary, in order to live life to the fullest and most meaningful extent, to shift your perspective often, or at least to have it shifted for you by an outside force beyond your control.

there's much more meaning in this short story than just that, because naturally magical realism works are so so so dense and wonderfully complex. its significance as well as its beauty are endless. but it's more fun if you figure it all out on your own, so i'll leave you to it. you can access a copy of the story here, but i would definitely suggest buying a book of garcia marquez short stories, like this one. highly worth it and life-changing. just look at how awesome he looks:

definitely one of my top choices in the "who i'd like to meet" category. happy written word (thursday) wednesdaydali painting for you to ponder and eventually give up on trying to understand.

salvador dalí, Lion, Cheval, Dormeuse invisibles, 1930