Ascent to Glory
Álvaro Santana-Acuña
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Ascent to Glory by Álvaro Santana-Acuña constitutes a provocative filigree analysis of the construction of a literary classic, a judicious tracing of the solidarities, powers and maneuvers that led to the "ascent to glory" of Gabriel García Márquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, published in 1967. In it Santana-Acuña questions the myth of individual genius and miraculous circumstances generating this marvel of literary creation and formulates the controversial idea that it is not merely the product of the individual talent of a single author but rather the result of a collective synergy built on key elements of imagination, production and circulation. To make this point, Santana-Acuña presents in detail the fundamental elements contributing to the successful scaffolding of the novel, including some that preceded the actual writing of it. His analysis delves into the role of various generations of writers, censors, politicians, editors, critics, cultural agents, readers, admirers and antagonists from diverse backgrounds and origins in the construction of the classic itself.
These elements in turn merge with substantial geopolitical coordinates that are the backdrop to both the writing and the recognition of García Márquez's iconic work. Santana-Acuña does not lose sight of the historical events that influence the artist’s writing process, such as the Spanish Civil War, World War II and the Cuban Revolution, or the international symposiums, congresses and seminars that contributed to the triumph of the novel. Nor does he underestimate the impact of the cultural capital of institutions such as Casa de las Americas, the Instituto de Cultura Hispánica, or of multiple newspapers, magazines and publishing houses worldwide. The reader is guided through episodes where literature and politics intersect, as evident in instances of ideological and linguistic censorship, in struggles within the international publishing market, and in the shaping of readers’ taste associated with the flourishing of a Latin American literature per se. |
Nevertheless, Ascent to Glory also portrays more intimate developments, such as García Márquez's professional and emotional ups and downs, his encounters and disagreements with editors and publishing houses, literary influences and narrator colleagues both inside and outside the Latin American Boom generation, as well as his rejection of two Cervantes Prizes and an Honorary Doctorate awarded by the University of the Sorbonne in Paris. Santana-Acuña recounts with meticulous clarity the story of the vicissitudes and transformations in García Márquez's writing, the ingenious way he always knew how to use controversy and rejection to the benefit of constructing his masterpiece.
Ascent to Glory also deals with the concept of magical realism, the label imposed on García Márquez's work, by considering its origin, consolidation and subsequent development over the years, as seen in a variety of articles and reviews that illustrate different ideological, academic and literary stances. This book is a valuable source for understanding the extraordinary success of One Hundred Years of Solitude in the literary industry, its creative process and its conversion into an indisputable classic within the Latin American literary canon. It is a critical reading that portrays One Hundred Years of Solitude as a product of creative networking, a process of collaboration between countless parts of a complex cooperative web, rather than solely as a product of the imagination of a single writer.
Santana-Acuña’s Ascent to Glory demystifies the work process of a famous author in the creation of a literary masterpiece and, paradoxically, contributes to enhancing its status among the world classics. It provides one more key to understanding the construction of García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, a new academic positioning and remarkable perspective regarding it. Ultimately, in doing so, it provides a compelling alternative critical approach to the study of literary classics in general.
Álvaro Santana-Acuña is a historian and sociologist. He received his PhD from Harvard University and currently teaches Sociology at Whitman College. He is the curator of the exhibition García Márquez: The Making of a Global Writer and the author of Ascent to Glory.
Ascent to Glory is a publication by Columbia University Press and is available for purchase.
Ascent to Glory also deals with the concept of magical realism, the label imposed on García Márquez's work, by considering its origin, consolidation and subsequent development over the years, as seen in a variety of articles and reviews that illustrate different ideological, academic and literary stances. This book is a valuable source for understanding the extraordinary success of One Hundred Years of Solitude in the literary industry, its creative process and its conversion into an indisputable classic within the Latin American literary canon. It is a critical reading that portrays One Hundred Years of Solitude as a product of creative networking, a process of collaboration between countless parts of a complex cooperative web, rather than solely as a product of the imagination of a single writer.
Santana-Acuña’s Ascent to Glory demystifies the work process of a famous author in the creation of a literary masterpiece and, paradoxically, contributes to enhancing its status among the world classics. It provides one more key to understanding the construction of García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, a new academic positioning and remarkable perspective regarding it. Ultimately, in doing so, it provides a compelling alternative critical approach to the study of literary classics in general.
Álvaro Santana-Acuña is a historian and sociologist. He received his PhD from Harvard University and currently teaches Sociology at Whitman College. He is the curator of the exhibition García Márquez: The Making of a Global Writer and the author of Ascent to Glory.
Ascent to Glory is a publication by Columbia University Press and is available for purchase.
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