Читать книгу Знамениты и влюблены. Увлекательные истории для изучения английского языка - Анжелика Ягудена - Страница 3

Many of you have probably read the romantic fairy tale Scarlet Sails by Alexander Grin about a dreamy, kind-hearted girl named Assol, who believed in miracles and waited for her prince. This is a heart-touching story with happy ending about pure, sublime love and an unshakable belief. “Dreams come true, even the impossible ones” is the motto of the book. No wonder they say, “The one who knows how to wait always gets the best.” When I first researched the life of Mercedes Barcha, the wife of the iconic writer Gabriel Garcia Márquez, the image of Assol involuntarily popped into my head. And do you know why? The beloved woman and muse of the literary genius patiently waited for her fiancé for 13 long years! She was the personification of wisdom, dedication, patience, faith, and love. Their entire life can be summed up in a few words: “For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and obey, till death do us part.”

Gabriel Garcia Márquez was a Nobel Prize winner and one of the best-known Latin American writers in history who became a classic during his lifetime. His legendary novel One Hundred Years of Solitude is rightfully considered a real phenomenon and an unsurpassed masterpiece of world literature. The iconic writer was born on March 6, 1927, in the Colombian river town of Aracataca. Gabo, as he was affectionately known by his family and friends, was the oldest of 12 children born to his parents. The would-be writer spent his early childhood living with his maternal grandparents, who put their heart and soul into raising him and actually replaced his parents. Both were excellent storytellers. The most important person in Gabo’s life was his grandfather, a retired colonel and well-respected veteran of the Thousand Days’ War. He used to tell the young boy about his experiences during the war. Later, Márquez described his grandfather as “his umbilical cord with history and reality.” His grandmother was a superstitious woman with a rich imagination who believed in the supernatural and used to tell her grandson folk tales and ghost stories. It’s not hard to figure out that his grandparents were the main source of his literary inspiration. When Gabo was 7 years old, his beloved grandfather died, and he had to move back in with his parents, who lived in Sucre. Shortly after, he went to college, where he started writing humorous verses. Gabo was an honour student, and in 1940, he earned a scholarship to study at a prestigious Jesuit secondary school. As time passed by, he decided to pursue higher education. At his family’s insistence, Márquez first studied law but soon dropped out of the university to focus on his journalistic career.

Mercedes Barcha was born on November 6, 1932, in Magangué, Colombia, in a well-to-do family. She was the oldest of seven children to her parents. Her father, an Egyptian immigrant, owned a pharmacy, and her mother was a homemaker. Mercedes was a mixed-race girl of an extraordinarily charming beauty: her big brown eyes, high cheekbones, and lustrous brown shoulder-length hair were legendary. Her exotic beauty could be compared to Nefertiti’s undeniable beauty.

Gabo and Mercedes met in Sucre, the town where their families lived for several years and where they spent their vacations. Notably, their fathers were childhood friends. Love story of Márquez began when they met on the dance floor. The girl was only 13, and the writer was 18. According to other sources, they met for the first time four years earlier. As a pioneer of magical realism, Márquez always maintained an air of mystery and intrigue. I suppose that’s why his personal life was overgrown with legends and speculation, and it was difficult to distinguish reality from fiction. After all, the writer could tell the same story that happened to him differently, and his listener could get lost in the maze of his fantasies.

Now back to the first meeting of the iconic writer and his wife-to-be. When young Gabo saw his Mrs. Right, he was struck by her unearthly beauty and decided to act immediately. “I just found out that all the verses I’ve written were dedicated to you. Be my wife!” he said. “I agree. But if you allow me, I will finish school first,” she replied. That’s how their lifetime romance began. Gabo and Mercedes were destined to be together. They found happiness and became two halves of a whole. They were absolutely different but complemented each other perfectly. Mercedes was reasonable, wise, calm, and practical, and Gabriel was temperamental, purposeful, dreamy, and eccentric. Their love was tested by time and distance. After all, it took 13 long years for them to finally get married. No wonder they say, “Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great.” Their bonding was stronger than steel. Whenever they were separated, the lovebirds constantly exchanged letters exploring each other’s inner world. Curiously, when the couple reunited, the writer asked Mercedes to destroy all those love letters, so they wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. All this time, the girl remained faithful to him and waited patiently and quietly, without a shadow of a doubt and strain. She ignored rumors surrounding her would-be husband and rejected her suitors’ advances. Many believed Mercedes was unworldly, and she was sometimes ridiculed behind her back. People gossiped that the young girl was wasting the best years of her life waiting for someone who would never marry her. However, Mercedes didn’t care what other people said. Somewhere deep inside, she knew that she was destined to spend a lifetime together with Gabo and that their love was mutual. In my view, that’s how a strong, confident, and wise woman is supposed to behave. In 1958, the couple finally got married. It’s true what they say:

If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.

Márquez and Barcha were poor, but they loved each other and lived in harmony. As the famous saying goes, “With one’s beloved, even a hut is heaven.” Mercedes, accustomed to wealth and comfort, had no idea how to run the household. But there is nothing a woman cannot do. Overtime, she learned how to cook and manage the family budget. In my view, they are examples of selfless, unconditional love. In fact, happy married couples who carry their love throughout their entire lives often start from scratch and achieve success together. Gabo and Mercedes never fought about money. On the contrary, the great woman never stopped believing her husband was a genius. Incidentally, it was she who convinced Gabo that writing was his true calling. No wonder they say that behind every successful man there is a great woman. Later, Márquez would confirm that belief:

Without Mercedes I would not have gotten to write the book. She took charge of the situation.

What did the brilliant writer mean by saying that?

One day, Márquez, his wife, and their two sons went on vacation to Acapulco. While he was driving, he had a sudden flash of insight and came up with a plot for his most famous novel. Without any hesitation, they came back home so that Gabo could entirely devote himself to writing. Initially, he planned to complete his book One Hundred Years of Solitude within six months, but it took him a bit longer. The manuscript was ready in only 18 months. Márquez quit his job and isolated himself in his room. He asked not to interrupt him under no circumstances. Mercedes took care of the children and ran the household. The strong woman borrowed money from their friends, pawned home appliances and jewelry, and even persuaded the landlord to forego their rent for seven months. In all that time, they accumulated a large amount of debt and had almost nothing to eat, but they didn’t lose faith in a bright future. When they went to the post office to send the manuscript to be published, they found out that they didn’t have enough money for postage. Then Mercedes decided to sell her hair dryer and a mixer to pay all the postage fees. The novel, which became an overnight sensation, brought Márquez worldwide fame and earned him the Nobel Prize in literature. Ever since, they had everything they could only dream of: wealth, fame, recognition, and, of course, love.

Márquez and Mercedes have been married for more than 55 years, but they never had a serious argument. Gabo simply worshipped his muse. This is how he described his relationship with his wife:

I think the secret is that we have continued to understand things as we understood them before we were married. In other words, marriage, like the whole of life, is something terribly difficult that we have to start over from the beginning every day, and every day of our lives.

Indeed, one can only dream of love like this.

At the age of 85, Márquez was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which manifested itself after a long battle against lymphatic cancer. The disease progressed, and the great writer didn’t recognize anyone around him except his beloved wife and muse. She was there with him till his last breath – till death did them part as they vowed. Gabriel Garcia Márquez died on April 17, 2014. However, I’m sure, the great ones never die. They live in our hearts forever. Mercedes survived him by six years, and the two loving souls were reunited in heaven.

Among Márquez’s most famous works are One Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The General in His Labyrinth, and others.

VOCABULARY

fairy tale [ˈfeəri teɪl] – сказка

kind-hearted [ˌkaɪnd ˈhɑːrtɪd] – добрый, добросердечный, добродушный

sublime love [səˈblaɪm lʌv] – возвышенная любовь

involuntary [ɪnˈvɒləntəri] – невольно, непроизвольно

muse [mjuːz] – муза

literary genius [ˈlɪtəreri ˈdʒiːniəs] – литературный гений

fiancé [fiːˈɑːnseɪ] – жених, суженый

maternal grandparents [məˈtɜːrnl ˈɡrænˌpeərənts] – бабушка и дедушка со стороны матери

put heart and soul (into) – [pʊt hɑːrt ənd səʊl ˈɪntə] – вкладывать душу (во что-то)

colonel [ˈkɜːnl] – полковник

superstitious [ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs] – суеверный

the supernatural [ðəˌsuːpəˈnæʧᵊrᵊl] – сверхъестественное

move back in with (>somebody) [muːv bæk ɪn wɪð] – переехать обратно к кому-то

mixed-race girl [ˌmɪkst ˈreɪs ɡɜːrl] – девушка-метиска

unearthly beauty [ʌnˈɜːrθli ˈbjuːti] – неземная красота

be overwhelmed [bi ˌəʊvəˈwelmd] – быть ошеломленным, потрясенным

be destined [bi ˈdestɪnd] – быть предназначенным судьбой

reasonable [ˈriːzənəbəl] – разумный, рассудительный

reunite [ˌriːjuːˈnaɪt] – воссоединяться

remain faithful [rɪˈmeɪnˈfeɪθfʊl] – хранить верность

reject (someone’s) advances [rɪˈdʒekt ədˈvænsɪz] – отвергать чьи-то ухаживания

suitor [ˈsuːtər] – поклонник, ухажер, жених

mutual love [ˈmjuːtʃuəl lʌv] – взаимная любовь

betrothed [bɪˈtrəʊðd] – суженая, нареченная

with (one’s) beloved, even a hut is heaven [wɪð bɪˈlʌvɪd ˈiːvn ə hʌt ɪz ˈhɛvᵊn] – с милым и рай в шалаше

be accustomed [bi əˈkʌstəmd] – привыкнуть

run the household [rʌn ðəˈhaʊshoʊld] – вести домашнее хозяйство

selfless love [ˈselfləs lʌv] – бескорыстная любовь

unconditional love [ˌʌnkənˈdɪʃᵊnᵊl lʌv] – безусловная любовь

start from scratch [sta: t frəm skrætʃ] – начинать с нуля, с чистого листа

convince [kənˈvɪns] – убедить, уговорить

true calling [truːˈkɔːlɪŋ] – истинное призвание

creative insight [kriˈeɪtɪv ˈɪnsaɪt] – творческое озарение

come up with [kʌm ʌp wɪð] – придумать, сочинить

pawn [pɔːn] – закладывать в ломбард

persuade [pəˈsweɪd] – переубедить, уговорить

take charge (of) [teɪk ʧɑːʤ əv] – взять на себя ответственность

lose faith [luːz feɪθ] – потерять веру

manuscript [ˈmænjəskrɪpt] – рукопись

postage fees [ˈpəʊstɪdʒ fi: z] – почтовые расходы

become an overnight sensation [bɪˈkʌm ənˌəʊvərˈnaɪt senˈseɪʃn] – мгновенно стать сенсацией; неожиданно обрести знаменитость

recognition [ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃn] – признание

fame [feɪm] – слава, известность

EXERCISES

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:

1) When and where was Gabriel Garcia Márquez born?

2) What was his nickname?

3) Where did Gabo spend his early childhood?

4) Who was the most important person in Gabo’s life?

5) What was Gabo’s relationship with his grandparents?

6) Why did Gabo move back in with his parents?

7) When and where was Mercedes Barcha born?

8) How would you characterize Mercedes Barcha?

9) What did Mercedes look like?

10) Where did the couple meet?

11) How old were they when they first met?

12) What was Gabo like? And what was Mercedes like?

13) How long had Gabo and Mercedes known each other before they finally got married?

14) When did Gabo and Mercedes finally get married?

15) How would you comment on the following statemen: “Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great”?

16) Why did Gabo ask his wife to destroy all their love letters?

17) How long did it take Márquez to write his most famous novel One Hundred Years of Solitude?

18) How long were they married?

19) When did Márquez die?

20) What were Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s most famous works?

Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of the following words and phrases in the text:

роман, в одночасье ставший сенсацией; отвергать ухаживания поклонников; в глубине души; вести домашнее хозяйство; первоначально; стать двумя половинками одного целого; он был поражен ее неземной красотой; сохранить ауру загадочности и интриги; по настоянию его семьи; вложить всю душу в его воспитание; недаром говорят; верить в сверхъестественное; переехать к родителям; бросить учебу в университете; отличить реальность от вымысла

Exercise 3. Give the Russian equivalents of the following words and phrases:

a heart-touching story; to act immediately; to get lost in the maze of fantasies; without a shadow of a doubt; to spend a lifetime together; with one’s beloved, even a hut is heaven; under no circumstances; to borrow money from friends; to pawn home appliances; to pay all the postage fees; they complemented each other; a girl of an extraordinarily charming beauty; a retired colonel; an unsurpassed masterpiece; pure, sublime love

Exercise 4. Match each word with its antonym:

LOVE STORY No. 1

Romantic stories with happy endings cure our hearts and souls. They make us believe in miracles and give us hope for a bright future. Have you ever tried creating your own perfect story? Let’s check if you have a talent for writing. Read the passage carefully and then write your own happy ending:

Jessica and James were meant to be together. They fell in love with each other at the first sight. The couple quickly got close for they had much in common and looked at the world in the same way. They started dating and were really happy. They enjoyed going to the gym and spending time together. James nicely cared for Jessica. He arranged weekends by the river, made amazing surprises, gave beautiful flowers, and set up romantic dinners. Jessica cooked delicious meals and helped him prepare for his final exams. They dreamed of a wedding in Greece and a big family. But things were not so simple.

James was an orphan. He was raised by his grandparents who taught him to love and respect people regardless of their social status. His family was not rich, and he was dreaming of a successful career. He wanted to make a better life for his grandparents and worked tirelessly after school. James was a very purposeful and responsible young man who knew what he wanted.

Jessica was born into a wealthy family. Her father built a successful career in real estate, and her mother was a highly reputed criminal lawyer. Both were money-oriented, ambitious, and pragmatic. They strongly opposed the marriage between their daughter and a young man who came from a poor background. They finally got their way and separated the two lovers. Jessica was forced to marry a man she didn’t love to clear her family’s debts. Her father allegedly owed a large sum of money to his business partners, and her potential husband was the only one who could help him out. He was rich and influential. As you might have guessed, this was all part of her parents’ cunning plan. Jessica was devastated but obeyed the will of her family.

Time passed, and Jessica was resigned to her fate, trying to forget the past. Her lovely daughter was her only joy in life. The girl was obedient, loving, and caring. But overall, Jessica was unhappy. She wanted to change her life but didn’t know how. She had nowhere to go, and it was almost impossible to get a job while caring for a small child. But one day after so many years of despair, fortune smiled upon her. While walking in the park with her little daughter, she accidentally met James…

Use these prompts as a springboard. They’ll help you think deeper and take your writing to a whole new level:

• How did James’ life turn out? Did he achieve success in life and build a career?

• Is James married or single?

• Will Jessica and James find a way to be together?

• Will their feelings become even stronger after a long time apart?