If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, its yours. If it doesnt, it never was.
Márquez and Barcha were poor, but they loved each other and lived in harmony. As the famous saying goes, With ones beloved, even a hut is heaven. Mercedes, accustomed to wealth and comfort, had no idea how to run the household. But there is nothing a woman cannot do. Overtime, she learned how to cook and manage the family budget. In my view, they are examples of selfless, unconditional love. In fact, happy married couples who carry their love throughout their entire lives often start from scratch and achieve success together. Gabo and Mercedes never fought about money. On the contrary, the great woman never stopped believing her husband was a genius. Incidentally, it was she who convinced Gabo that writing was his true calling. No wonder they say that behind every successful man there is a great woman. Later, Márquez would confirm that belief:
Without Mercedes I would not have gotten to write the book. She took charge of the situation.
What did the brilliant writer mean by saying that?
One day, Márquez, his wife, and their two sons went on vacation to Acapulco. While he was driving, he had a sudden flash of insight and came up with a plot for his most famous novel. Without any hesitation, they came back home so that Gabo could entirely devote himself to writing. Initially, he planned to complete his book One Hundred Years of Solitude within six months, but it took him a bit longer. The manuscript was ready in only 18 months. Márquez quit his job and isolated himself in his room. He asked not to interrupt him under no circumstances. Mercedes took care of the children and ran the household. The strong woman borrowed money from their friends, pawned home appliances and jewelry, and even persuaded the landlord to forego their rent for seven months. In all that time, they accumulated a large amount of debt and had almost nothing to eat, but they didnt lose faith in a bright future. When they went to the post office to send the manuscript to be published, they found out that they didnt have enough money for postage. Then Mercedes decided to sell her hair dryer and a mixer to pay all the postage fees. The novel, which became an overnight sensation, brought Márquez worldwide fame and earned him the Nobel Prize in literature. Ever since, they had everything they could only dream of: wealth, fame, recognition, and, of course, love.
Márquez and Mercedes have been married for more than 55 years, but they never had a serious argument. Gabo simply worshipped his muse. This is how he described his relationship with his wife:
I think the secret is that we have continued to understand things as we understood them before we were married. In other words, marriage, like the whole of life, is something terribly difficult that we have to start over from the beginning every day, and every day of our lives.
Indeed, one can only dream of love like this.
At the age of 85, Márquez was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, which manifested itself after a long battle against lymphatic cancer. The disease progressed, and the great writer didnt recognize anyone around him except his beloved wife and muse. She was there with him till his last breath till death did them part as they vowed. Gabriel Garcia Márquez died on April 17, 2014. However, Im sure, the great ones never die. They live in our hearts forever. Mercedes survived him by six years, and the two loving souls were reunited in heaven.
Among Márquezs most famous works are One Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The General in His Labyrinth, and others.
VOCABULARY
fairy tale [ˈfeəri teɪl] сказка
kind-hearted [ˌkaɪnd ˈhɑːrtɪd] добрый, добросердечный, добродушный
sublime love [səˈblaɪm lʌv] возвышенная любовь
involuntary [ɪnˈvɒləntəri] невольно, непроизвольно
muse [mjuːz] муза
literary genius [ˈlɪtəreri ˈdʒiːniəs] литературный гений
fiancé [fiːˈɑːnseɪ] жених, суженый
maternal grandparents [məˈtɜːrnl ˈɡrænˌpeərənts] бабушка и дедушка со стороны матери
put heart and soul (into) [pʊt hɑːrt ənd səʊl ˈɪntə] вкладывать душу (во что-то)
colonel [ˈkɜːnl] полковник
superstitious [ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs] суеверный
the supernatural [ðəˌsuːpəˈnæʧᵊrᵊl] сверхъестественное
move back in with (>somebody) [muːv bæk ɪn wɪð] переехать обратно к кому-то
mixed-race girl [ˌmɪkst ˈreɪs ɡɜːrl] девушка-метиска
unearthly beauty [ʌnˈɜːrθli ˈbjuːti] неземная красота
be overwhelmed [bi ˌəʊvəˈwelmd] быть ошеломленным, потрясенным
be destined [bi ˈdestɪnd] быть предназначенным судьбой
reasonable [ˈriːzənəbəl] разумный, рассудительный
reunite [ˌriːjuːˈnaɪt] воссоединяться
remain faithful [rɪˈmeɪnˈfeɪθfʊl] хранить верность
reject (someones) advances [rɪˈdʒekt ədˈvænsɪz] отвергать чьи-то ухаживания
suitor [ˈsuːtər] поклонник, ухажер, жених
mutual love [ˈmjuːtʃuəl lʌv] взаимная любовь
betrothed [bɪˈtrəʊðd] суженая, нареченная
with (ones) beloved, even a hut is heaven [wɪð bɪˈlʌvɪd ˈiːvn ə hʌt ɪz ˈhɛvᵊn] с милым и рай в шалаше
be accustomed [bi əˈkʌstəmd] привыкнуть
run the household [rʌn ðəˈhaʊshoʊld] вести домашнее хозяйство
selfless love [ˈselfləs lʌv] бескорыстная любовь
unconditional love [ˌʌnkənˈdɪʃᵊnᵊl lʌv] безусловная любовь
start from scratch [sta: t frəm skrætʃ] начинать с нуля, с чистого листа
convince [kənˈvɪns] убедить, уговорить
true calling [truːˈkɔːlɪŋ] истинное призвание
creative insight [kriˈeɪtɪv ˈɪnsaɪt] творческое озарение
come up with [kʌm ʌp wɪð] придумать, сочинить
pawn [pɔːn] закладывать в ломбард
persuade [pəˈsweɪd] переубедить, уговорить
take charge (of) [teɪk ʧɑːʤ əv] взять на себя ответственность
lose faith [luːz feɪθ] потерять веру
manuscript [ˈmænjəskrɪpt] рукопись
postage fees [ˈpəʊstɪdʒ fi: z] почтовые расходы
become an overnight sensation [bɪˈkʌm ənˌəʊvərˈnaɪt senˈseɪʃn] мгновенно стать сенсацией; неожиданно обрести знаменитость
recognition [ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃn] признание
fame [feɪm] слава, известность
EXERCISES
Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:
1) When and where was Gabriel Garcia Márquez born?
2) What was his nickname?
3) Where did Gabo spend his early childhood?
4) Who was the most important person in Gabos life?
5) What was Gabos relationship with his grandparents?
6) Why did Gabo move back in with his parents?
7) When and where was Mercedes Barcha born?
8) How would you characterize Mercedes Barcha?
9) What did Mercedes look like?
10) Where did the couple meet?
11) How old were they when they first met?
12) What was Gabo like? And what was Mercedes like?
13) How long had Gabo and Mercedes known each other before they finally got married?
14) When did Gabo and Mercedes finally get married?
15) How would you comment on the following statemen: Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great?
16) Why did Gabo ask his wife to destroy all their love letters?
17) How long did it take Márquez to write his most famous novel One Hundred Years of Solitude?
18) How long were they married?
19) When did Márquez die?
20) What were Gabriel Garcia Márquezs most famous works?
Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of the following words and phrases in the text:
роман, в одночасье ставший сенсацией; отвергать ухаживания поклонников; в глубине души; вести домашнее хозяйство; первоначально; стать двумя половинками одного целого; он был поражен ее неземной красотой; сохранить ауру загадочности и интриги; по настоянию его семьи; вложить всю душу в его воспитание; недаром говорят; верить в сверхъестественное; переехать к родителям; бросить учебу в университете; отличить реальность от вымысла