Gabo's hometown didn't become Macondo

Mon26Jun2006

Gabo's hometown didn't become Macondo

18:29 H | Topics: Celebrities - Colombia - Literature

Gabriel García Márquez's hometown of Aracataca (isn't that a reggaeton lyric?), Colombia lobbied to have the name of the town officially changed to Macondo -- the name of the fictional hamlet in 100 Years of Solitude -- in honor of the writer. Citizens got out the vote, but were ultimately unsuccessful in their efforts:

Residents of the hometown of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez failed to pass a referendum Sunday to change the town's name to Macondo, the fictitious tropical hamlet in his masterpiece "One Hundred Years of Solitude."

Although 93 percent of residents in Aracataca voted for the change, high absenteeism invalidated the results. In total, 3,600 of the town's 22,000 eligible voters — less than half the minimum needed — cast ballots, town mayor Pedro Sanchez said.

Too bad for town officials who hoped that the name change would boost tourism and bring new life to the down and out village. According to AP, Gabo himself hasn't commented either way.

Via / Yahoo! Entertainment and AP