Gabriel Garcia Marquez has been described as the greatest writer in Spanish since Cervantes, and El coronel no tiene quien le escriba is considered to be one of his best works. This reflective and atmospheric novel is set in a small Colombian town where the frustrated and stubborn Colonel, a veteran of the 'War of a Thousand Days', is still, after thirty years, waiting for the letter authorising payment of his war pension. The old soldier and his wife mourn the brutal killing of their only son, and the story of their struggle against poverty and sickness culminates in the Colonel's defiant refusal to part with his cherished fighting cock, however serious the consequences. The moving narrative pays tribute to the resilience of human nature and man's will to survive in the face of heavy odds. The novel also throws light on the turbulent religious and political troubles in Latin America. Now revised to include an updated chronology and bibliography, Giovanni Pontiero's acclaimed critical edition provides English-speaking students with an introduction to, and notes on the text, and a selected vocabulary.

加西亚•马尔克斯（Gabriel García Márquez）

1927年出生于哥伦比亚马格达莱纳海滨小镇阿拉卡塔卡。童年与外祖父母一起生活。1936年随父母迁居苏克雷。1947年考入波哥大国立大学。1948年因内战辍学，进入报界。五十年代开始出版文学作品。1961年《没有人给他写信的上校》问世。1967年出版《百年孤独》。1982年获诺贝尔文学奖。

加西亚•马尔克斯中文官方网站 http://www.douban.com/marquez