Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Obama for 2008

Today, I am delighted. Senator Obama has claimed victory in this historic race. Hillary continues to be defiant - no surprise there. Now, the real work for Obama starts. It is easy to discredit the legacy of Bush, but no republican presidential candidate has ever associated himself with Bush's failed policies. They may all belong to the same party, but with Bush's current rating, the word is that the republican party members are not answering Bush's phone calls. The point is, there is much at stake here, another 8 years of republican party would be the beginning of the end of prosperity in this country. The smear machine of the republican party has started to get the ball rolling to discredit Obama and highlight his lack of experience. So, if it means that bringing Clintons would provide the guaranteed return of democratic power to the white house, I would support Clinton's vice presidency, by all means. 

One hundred years of solitude


'100 years of solitude' is a masterpiece. No other book that I have read has captured my imagination like Marquez's genius work did. As the story of the Buendia family unfolds, the generations after generations are destined to bear the burden of incredible loneliness, the inevitable reality of human existence. While I was reading, I was thinking to myself - how does one write a novel like this? What complex emotions has he battled himself while he wrote it? Marquez's genius is abundantly clear in this work of art. The eloquent, brick face way of story telling combined with magical realism, the book is a delight to read.

This book is not without its flaws, like the repeated names of the Buendia family that puts unnecessary strain on the readers. He also loses the bearing of the story a bit toward the middle, but he gains it a short while later. But they are all minor compared to its larger impact overall. This is one of those books I might read again and again, because one reading alone doesn't do justice to its characters, their depth and complexity. This, in a remarkably artistic way, depicts the inevitable miseries of humanity, the complex yet meaningless quest of our desires and the tormented spirits that carry the burden of solitude.