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| Charge d'Affaires of the Colombia Embassy to Korea Francisco Gonzalez delivers opening remarks during a colloquium on Gabriel Garcia Marquez at a hotel in Seoul, Dec. 12. Courtesy of Embassy of Colombia in Korea |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The year 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature. Best known for his book, "One Hundred Years of Solitude," Garcia Marquez is considered a pioneer in modern Spanish-language literature.
The Embassy of Colombia in Seoul hosted a colloquium to discuss Garcia Marquez's legacy with scholars and translators at a hotel in Seoul, Dec. 12.
Charge d'Affaires of the Colombian Embassy to Korea Francisco Gonzalez explained how one of 16 children of a poor telegraph operator became the most beloved writer of Colombia.
"(He is) affectionately known as our 'Gabo.' And I say ours because his words became universal and now belong to all of us... Garcia Marquez's literature had already gained widespread acclaim and been translated into 35 languages before he received the Nobel Prize. After receiving the prize, the number of languages his work had been translated into increased to 49," Gonzalez said.
"When Garcia Marquez's novel was published in 1967, Colombia was governed by a constitution written in 1886. This remained the case until the adoption of the 1991 constitution, nine years after Garcia Marquez received the Nobel Prize. The adoption of this new constitution marked the end of a 105-year period and brought renewed hope to the country. We Colombians have been enjoying the benefits of this new democratic breath for 31 years and we hope that the visions and prophecies of Garcia Marquez will come true in the form of a better future for the country."
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| Swedish Ambassador to Korea Daniel Wolven speaks about the significance of the Nobel Prize and legacy of Gabriel Garcia Marquez during a colloquium on the Colombian writer at a hotel in Seoul, Dec. 12. Courtesy of Embassy of Colombia in Korea |
Swedish Ambassador to Korea Daniel Wolven delivered congratulatory remarks, highlighting the significance of the Nobel Prize, initiated from Alfred Nobel's will and its contribution to the world.
"Some would argue that we live in a time and age where the humanities have taken somewhat of a backseat compared to subjects of science and technology. I think against this backdrop, Alfred Nobel's will continues to be highly relevant to our times, by emphasizing the role of literature and the arts as an integral part in what it means to be human," Wolven said.
He also discussed the universal nature of magical realism in the works of Garcia Marquez.
"We all know that it is impossible to speak (about Garcia Marquez) without touching on the concept of magical realism," Wolven said, referring to Garcia Marquez's unique style of writing, which blends elements of magic and realism.
Ambassador Wolven recalled anecdotes from the visit of the Colombian delegation that accompanied the Nobel Prize winner on his trip to Stockholm to receive the award, which "brought a part of Colombia and probably all of Latin America to Sweden and whose memory still lives on and which we continue to honor and celebrating."
Sebastian Patron, a Colombian professor at Korea University, led the main discussion among panelists Song Byeong-sun, professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies at University of Ulsan, Cho Gu-ho, professor of the Institute of Latin American Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, and Orlando Oliveros of the International Center for the Legacy of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
The event also featured a reading of excerptions from Garcia Marquez's works and a Vallenato performance by Josue Lopez inspired by the author.
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