Collected stories [Hardcover]

Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: Jonathan Cape (1991)
• ISBN-10: 0224032399
• ISBN-13: 978-0224032391
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,291,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories by a Master, July 14, 2004

By 

Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Collected Stories (Paperback)

This collection of twenty six stories by Nobel Laureate Garcia Marquez was first published as a whole in 1984, although the stories were previously published in three separate volumes. As a consequence, two translators are credited here: Gregory Rabassa for the stories from EYES OF A BLUE DOG and THE INCREDIBLE AND SAD TALE OF INNOCENT ERENDIRA AND HER HEARTLESS GRANDMOTHER, and J. S. Bernstein for the stories from BIG MAMA'S FUNERAL. Both scholars and avid followers will appreciate the chronological ordering of these tales as well as the dating of first publication from 1947 to 1972 to see the progression of a much heralded talent.

As befitting the work of a master, every story is wonderfully told, with deft touches that make each memorable. Many, particularly the early stories, deal with death, particularly the separation of consciousness from the physical body, and many explore the messiness of love. Several combine the two. In "Death Constant Before Love," a politician suffering from a terminal disease falls in love with a girl given to him as a political favor. "The Third Resignation" tells the tale of a seven year old boy who falls into a coma and then grows up in a coffin in his mother's house. Three times, he resigns himself to death. "There Are No Thieves In This Town" chronicles the foolishness of a man who steals three billiard balls from a local pool hall and who loses his wife and unborn child for it. Always, Garcia Marquez's exception talent for storytelling carries these tales alone with a romantic and mystical eye for human vulnerability. His style is never rushed, always lingering over the moment, which gives even the shortest stories the feel of a novella. Not all these stories embrace the magic realism for which the author is famous, although the reader will emerge bewitched all the same.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Chronological Collection!, March 19, 2000

By 

Michael Mcgrath "troppo67" (macondo) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Collected Stories (Paperback)

Here in one volume you will have 26 stories in excellent English translations which preserve the aesthetic simplicity of the original Spanish...it would be impossible to give a commment on all the great stories here. The reader will have glimpses of Macondo here and there. the stories I enjoyed the most were in the third section of this book. "A Very Old Man with enormous wings", "the Handsomest Drowned Man In the World" and "...Erendira...." All bear Marquez's signature simple style, with the elements of magical realism...it is a collection to enjoy time and time again...

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best collection of short stories I've ever read!, November 14, 2000

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Collected Stories (Paperback)

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the most incredible writers I have ever encountered. He is a profound storyteller. In fact, his work is like a beautiful Magritte painting filled with surreal images. I marvel at the translator. I can't imagine translating "Eyes of a Blue Dog." How on earth was he able to translate such a complicated story? It's incredible! The other stories are amazing as well. My favorites are "Big Mama's Funeral" and "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings." Each story has a special dose of magical realism. I look forward to reading other books from this author. I highly recommend this book.