Monday, April 6, 2009

Follow-up: Garcia Marquez denies retirement claims

To paraphrase Mark Twain: “reports of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated.”

As we mentioned last week, the agent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez said that he will retire from writing. "I don't think that García Márquez will write anything else", mentioned Carmen Balcells to Chilean newspaper La Tercera on the possible future of the famed author.

“Gabo” subsequently denied the rumors that he was putting down his pen forever. According to a very brief interview published in Colombia’s El Tiempo:
El Tiempo: Maestro, could you answer some questions for El Tiempo?"

Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Call me later; I'm writing,

We called him later at his Mexico City studio and he accepted answering only two questions.

Is it true that you will no longer write?

“Not only is it untrue but the truth is that I do nothing else but write.

But it has been said that you will not publish any more books?

My job is to write, not to publish. I'll know when the pastries that I have in the oven are ready to be eaten. – [ed. personal translation]
In retrospect, as the Guardian UK noted, Balcells’ comments are “somewhat galling for her, given that she also revealed García Márquez represented 36.2% of her agency's income.”

Image- Reuters
Online Sources- El Tiempo, The Latin Americanist, LAHT, Guardian UK, brainyquote.com

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

From the link you supplied the actual quote is "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated".
Mark Twain

Mr Twain was referring to DEATH not retirement.

Erwin C. said...

Yes, which is why I wrote "To paraphrase Mark Twain" with the operative word being "paraphrase."

Anonymous said...

My bad you are correct.