Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez wrote during a period of socio-political turmoil throughout South America. His work, decidedly leftist in nature, decried and satirized authoritarian rule and dictatorships throughout the region, speculating about power and isolation to understand the internal lives of those in charge. His main character, then, acts as a generic lens through which he might explore the men whose actions so affected not only his country but that of his neighbors. 

Márquez’s 1975 The Autumn of the Patriarch continues this exploration, marrying a multitude of dissonant voices into a swirling, six-part narrative describing the life and death of one such dictator. Stylistically, the novel is complex and involved, unfurling in a stream-of-consciousness manner that forces readers to follow along at a ceaseless, break-neck pace.

The novel opens with the death of the self-proclaimed General of the Universe, an unscrupulous autocratic ruler of an undisclosed Caribbean nation. His decaying body is discovered in his office under circumstances that raise questions about the nature of his death. Having been removed from the public eye for many years, those who find him wonder about his identity. 

This doubt arises, in part, from a previous incident in which he miraculously survived an assassination attempt by employing a double, Patricio Aragonés, who ultimately succumbed to poison. Seizing the assassination attempt as an opportunity to solidify his grip on power, the General executed all who dared to oppose his rule and celebrated his “death.” Since then, he has ruled as the sole dictator of the nation.

The narrative then turns, retelling the ebbs and flows of the General’s oppressive rule as well as his intricate and complicated personal life. Flickering from perspective to perspective, it details the General’s encounter with Manuela Sánchez, a striking young woman from an impoverished area seeking basic amenities for her neighborhood/ 

Initially, the General complies with her request but soon becomes obsessively infatuated with her—to the point of stalking her and attempting to erase her identity by destroying and reconstructing her entire district. Despite his efforts, Manuela manages to escape without a trace.

After a devastating hurricane strikes the country, the General orchestrates a rigged weekly lottery, manipulating innocent children into selecting winning numbers. Subsequently, he confines these children beneath the palace and later executes them for their unwitting complicity in cheating the lottery.

This stirs unease within his administration, leading the General to suspect his close confidant and seemingly loyal friend, Minister of Defense General Rodrigo de Aguilar, of betrayal and conspiracy. In a gruesome turn of events, the General murders General Aguilar and serves his body as the main course at an annual military dinner event held in celebration of both the military and his reign.

Bendición Álvarez, the General's mother, suddenly passes away. Her death profoundly affects him, as they shared a deep bond and she played a vital role in his life. Her passing is traumatic, prompting him to make futile attempts to have her declared a saint by the Church. When the Church rejects this proposition, the General embarks on a war against the remnants of faith in the nation, resulting in the exile of all priests and nuns.

A greedy nun named Leticia Nazareno becomes the General's wife and gives birth to their son, Emanuel—the General’s only legitimate child among the many he has fathered. Letizia not only becomes his wife but also teaches the General how to read and write, ultimately convincing him to allow the return of priests and nuns to the country. Tragically, Letizia and Emanuel fall victim to the political machinations of the General's adversaries, murdered by rabid...