Henningfeld is an associate professor at Adrian College, In the following essay, she explores the layers of meaning in the novel, noting the ways in which Garcia Marquez intertwines myth, history, and literary theory to create a work that is at once readable and complex.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez's masterpiece, Cien anos de soledad was published in Buenos Aires in 1967. The English translation, One Hundred Years of Solitude, prepared for Harper and Row by Gregory Rabassa, appeared in 1970. Several noted Latin American writers applauded the book even before its publication, and post-publication response was universally positive. The novel has been translated into twenty-six languages and continues to enjoy both popular and critical acclaim.

Garcia Marquez was born in Aracataca, Colombia, on March 6, 1928. For the first eight years of his life, he lived with his grandparents. He credits his grandmother for his ability to tell stories, and for giving...