Márquez, Gabriel García | Typed letter, to his friend Carlos Aleman, referencing characters that would appear 17 years later - photo 1
Márquez, Gabriel García | Typed letter, to his friend Carlos Aleman, referencing characters that would appear 17 years later - photo 2

Márquez, Gabriel García | Typed letter, to his friend Carlos Aleman, referencing characters that would appear 17 years later

Lot 64
08.12.2023 12:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 5 080
AuctioneerSotheby´s
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1111099
Lot 64 | Márquez, Gabriel García | Typed letter, to his friend Carlos Aleman, referencing characters that would appear 17 years later
Estimate value
$ 4 000 – 6 000
Márquez, Gabriel García
Typed letter, to his friend Carlos Aleman, referencing characters that would appear 17 years later, ca. 1950

One page (275 x 210 mm). A single sheet of thin typewriter paper, with manuscript notation at top in pencil in Márquez's hand, signed in type ("Gabito"), recto with manuscript annotation in ink in another hand; old folds, minor creases, some toning and marginal spotting. Housed in folding chemise, and green morocco-backed slipcase.

A rich and complex letter, which reveals through its stream of consciousness style Márquez's creative process.

Márquez was working as a columnist for El Heraldo in the 1950s, when he wrote this letter to his close friend, Carlos Alemán. This wonderfully cramped piece of correspondence offers references to his own writing, and itself is reminiscent of Molly Bloom's final monologue in James Joyce's Ulysses (which García Márquez had read in Bogotá in 1947). Remarkably, the present letter also mentions Colonel Aureliano Buendía, the most complex character in Márquez's masterpiece, One Hundred Years of Solitude, which was published in 1967. Márquez writes "aurelianobuendia te manda saludes" ("aurelianobuendia sends you greetings") before slipping into a longer narrative describing elements of the narrative.

The Latin American Boom of the 1960s and 1970s was heavily influenced by European and North American Modernism, and the Cuban Vanguardia. The rambling nature of the present letter is a conscious act of imitation in many respects, but also sheds light on Márquez's own creative impulses and influences. While Joyce is certainly present, the content is thoroughly Márquez. Incredibly, this piece of correspondence evinces a step in Márquez's movement from Modernism to magical realism. Further underscoring the hold of his literary forbearers, Márquez makes a closing comments about Virginia Woolf to Alemán: "no te gusta virginia te vas al carajo" ("if you don't like virginia you're going to hell).

A playful and important letter, by a young Márquez.
Address of auction Sotheby´s
1334 York Avenue
10021 New York
USA
Preview
01.12.2023 10:00 – 17:00
02.12.2023 10:00 – 17:00
03.12.2023 13:00 – 17:00
04.12.2023 10:00 – 17:00
05.12.2023 10:00 – 17:00
06.12.2023 10:00 – 17:00
07.12.2023 10:00 – 17:00
Phone +1 212 606 7000
Email
4FQ.AE2YUKFA@AYGLGHC3Y@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 10:00 – 17:00   
Tu 10:00 – 17:00   
We 10:00 – 17:00   
Th 10:00 – 17:00   
Fr 10:00 – 17:00   
Sa 10:00 – 17:00   
Su 13:00 – 17:00   

More from Creator

Márquez, Gabriel García | Two typescripts for
Márquez, Gabriel García | Two typescripts for "La Siesta del Martes," with Márquez's manuscript corrections
$20 000
Márquez, Gabriel García | Love in the Time of Cholera, signed limited edition
Márquez, Gabriel García | Love in the Time of Cholera, signed limited edition
$1 000
Márquez, Gabriel García | One Hundred Years of Solitude, inscribed to Nicolas Trincado
Márquez, Gabriel García | One Hundred Years of Solitude, inscribed to Nicolas Trincado
$10 000

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.