Resumo de Strange Pilgrims - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garcia Marquez consists of 20 short stories showing the difficulties facing Latin Americans from all walks of life. It is truly magnificent, in the way the author is able to capture so many moments that appear to pass by in other books. It captures the imagination like few other books can. Each story contains a unique character, one that we may be too hasty to judge and some that may be misunderstood. However, the book contains stories that also bring a chill down your spine, with the foreboding that lies within a few of them. The beauty of it is, all of the stories and their characters so conceivable.
My favourite story in this collection, 'Light is Like Water'. This story touched me with it's tale of innocence and brave imagination.
It is the account of two young Latin Americans who take the phrase 'Light is like water', uttered by Marquez in a poetry seminar as a reflection on how poetic devices can work, and turn it into a magical experience. It proves that children can be innovative and resourceful too.
The two young boys get a rowboat for doing so well in school as they were promised by their parents, but they are in the city and no longer living by the lake. The have to keep the rowboat indoors. With no water, they are able to ??turn on the tap?? at Marquez says. They look for the water, against the shadows of the walls with the lights turned on as a far greater experience than out in a lake. Their imagination takes them to a place few can go as they grow old, they go deep into this fantasy and journey.
A second favourite has to be ??Bon Voyage Mr President??. A tale of an old man who need an operation and finds a class of people who he would never meet otherwise, help him on his way to recovery. It shows how those who are the quickest to judge someone can also become the very person who will help that person and show them true friendship. The former president of a Caribbean country is in exile and living in Geneva. At the end he shows with his spirit that he wants to return to leading the country, despite being 75 years old. This story contrasts so well with ??Light is like water??. This story contains the brilliance of age and squandered opportunity. The President who once held fame and power in his hand so tightly, had it pulled away so quickly. It is this that drives him and like the Latin American boys in ??Light is Like Water??, his adventure has only just begun when he finds the honest hard working couple who are prepared to help him. They do so by selling his jewellery and giving him enough money to return home and get through his operation.
The reason this book captures so many minds, is due to the simplicity and concise story telling. The short stories sometimes leave you short of breathe. They are easy to read and so compelling at the same time
Because, in the end, that is what this book is about: journey. The name ??pilgrim?? proves that, but they are ??strange pilgrims??. They have found journey and travel in the most strangest of place, in ways other people may never know.
But with the help of Marquez, when I read these short stories, I was able to find in myself, my own adventure.

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