Gabriel Garcia Marquez Suffering From Dementia, Says Brother

HEALTH, LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, CURRENT AFFAIRS, 9 Jul 2012

The National – TRANSCEND Media Service

The Nobel literature laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the author of One Hundred Years of Solitude, is suffering from senile dementia, his brother says.

The 85-year-old author’s brother Jaime told El Universal newspaper in Mexico that he speaks to the 1982 Nobel winner nearly every day from their native Colombia, hoping to help keep some of his memories alive.

“What he has are some memory issues; in our family, we all end up with senile dementia. I am starting to get some of the onset complications and he already is in the throes of it,” he said.

He added that it had been a very slow decline for his author brother, who has had some symptoms of the condition since 1999, when he was treated for lymphatic cancer – a condition that nearly killed him. He then underwent chemotherapy, which sped up the pace of memory loss, his brother said.

Garcia Marquez, who is also known for Love in the Time of Cholera, lives in Mexico City with his wife Mercedes. He was born on March 6, 1927 in the Colombian Caribbean town of Aracataca but has lived in Mexico for several decades.

Weakened by his struggle with cancer, he did not resume writing after his latest novel, Memories of My Melancholy Whores, in 2004, and has abandoned his memoirs.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of his Nobel award. One Hundred Years of Solitude has sold 30 million copies worldwide.

* AFP

Go to Original – thenational.ae

Share this article: email mastodon facebook 🔗 copy link

DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Comments are closed.