Gabo a 40 años del Nobel: El escritor sí tiene quien le escriba

At 40 years of the Nobel

–“Nothing for the colonel?”

The coronel felt the terror. The administrator threw the sack over his shoulder, descended from the platform and, without turning, replied:

–“No one writes to the colonel.”

No One Writes to the Colonel, Gabriel García Márquez

A hidden box in the García Márquez family archive was recently found and revealed its contents: an extensive collection of letters from illustrious characters addressed to Gabo at various moments in history; from heads-of-state to colleague writers, celebrities, artists and friends. Opening on 10 June, this valuable collection will be on display to the public at the Gabriel García Márquez House of Literature (CLGGM).

The fortuitous finding of an important collection of letters couldn’t have happened at a better time. As celebrations for the 40^th anniversary of the Nobel Prize are underway, the García Márquez family has once again decided to open the doors of the Gabriel García Márquez House of Literature to the public and exhibit this correspondence. The letters, which had remained hidden, will join over 2,000 epistolary documents that are already part of the García Márquez archive at the Harry Ransom Center, at the University of Texas in Austin. The Ransom collection is the largest repository of Gabo’s documents, and the institution has been generous in allowing this exhibition to take place at the CLGGM before the letters are shipped off to them. From June 18, the exhibition entitled Gabriel García Márquez: The Making of a Global Writer will also be taking place at the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, following a successful showing in Austin.

This fortunate juncture will enrich the Nobel Prize anniversary celebrations and offer a privileged, unprecedented opportunity for the public to glimpse into Gabo’s life and work. Over a hundred letters were selected for the exhibition at the CLGGM—on Fuego street, in the south of Mexico City—by Emilia García Elizondo, the author’s granddaughter who has overseen the space, and ensured that her grandparents’ memory and generosity are kept alive through a year-long program of cultural activities.

Gabo at 40 years from the Nobel Prize: Someone does write to the writer includes correspondence with fellow writers like Pablo Neruda, public characters and heads-of-state like Bill Clinton; actors and activists like Robert Redford, and many more. The exhibition is a rare opportunity to glance at unpublished material through which Gabo’s proximity to definitive actors in culture, geopolitics and history at various moments. Many of the letters are handwritten, some are typed, and they are a testament to the value and power of correspondence before the appearance of electronic media.

“My father and I were looking for photographs for the celebration of the 40^th anniversary of the Nobel Prize when we found a box, mysteriously labeled “Grandchildren”. Of course, I opened it immediately and we were stunned at its contents. We knew there was correspondence, but we thought Mercedes had sent it off to the Ransom Center. We believe the subject matter of some of the letters may have been sensitive for her—for instance, the ones that touch on Gabo’s illness—and maybe she chose to keep them private. For me it was an incredible find, a bit like walking into my grandparents’ closet; it was an incursion into their intimate world, a world that will never cease to surprise me. To be able to show the letters at the house is very special to me. We are thankful to the Harry Ransom Center for allowing us this first showing of the material before it becomes part of the archive in Austin”, says Emilia García about the moment of finding the letters and their context.

The letters have been selected one-by-one by Emilia and her family. The show will remain open until mid-August. This exhibition is part of the cultural program at the Gabriel García Márquez House of Literature and new activities will soon be announced.

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