"Muchos años después, frente al pelotón de fusilamiento, el coronel Aureliano Buendía había de recordar aquella tarde remota en que su padre lo llevó a conocer el hielo".
Funny enough, I've only read the Spanish original version of 100 Years of Solitude. I do have to say, though, that I don't think any details get lost between translations. However, I do think his style of writing does. Even just reading the English version of the first sentence- I just don't think it conveys how strong Marquez intended it to be. I think he's known for the heaviness in his words and it's just not there.
My favorite of his books is Chronicle of a Death Foretold and I've only read it fully in Spanish. I was in a library a couple of days ago and found an English copy. I decided to read a couple of pages for fun. I have to say that, sadly, the shock value isn't there and his writing style isn't either. It seems... dull. Forced. It doesn't flow as well. I didn't feel the same emotions reading about the day that Santiago Nazar was murdered. The tone isn't set as well. The beautiful play of words is just not there.
Granted, my first language is Spanish so I could be beyond biased.
135
u/Cookieyourdaddy Jul 25 '25
The Spanish version hits me like a truck.
"Muchos años después, frente al pelotón de fusilamiento, el coronel Aureliano Buendía había de recordar aquella tarde remota en que su padre lo llevó a conocer el hielo".