Was Gabo an Irishman?: Tales from Gabriel García Márquez's Colombia

In Bogotá, a Spanish humanitarian worker attends a funeral without a body, as a storm of yellow butterflies swirls outside. In the jungle, an English anthropologist finds a tiny peace community fighting to preserve their way of life. And, somewhere in the Andes, an Australian coffee farmer confronts a guava-throwing witch in his tree.

This collection brings together 26 personal essays by writers from across the world, all of whom have lived in Gabriel García Márquez’s homeland. For some, his words are the key to unlocking the enigma of Colombia. For others, living in the land of magic realism brings them a new understanding of his works.

With magical rain, young lovers, grumpy old men, ghosts, conflict, politics, heartache, music, madness and more, these non-fiction stories are at once both singularly Colombian and universal in theme.