In the iconic opening lines of One Hundred Years of Solitude, Macondo—the town founded by the Buendía family in the heart of the Colombian Caribbean—becomes the seed of the world. In this episode, Nadia Celis sits down with historian Kristen Block to explore how the Caribbean emerged as the “navel of the world.” Together, they uncover the historical currents that shaped this region and dive into the origins of the Buendía family, tackling their most enduring struggles: violence and solitude.

In this opening episode, Nadia Celis and her guests situate us in Macondo, the imaginary town where García Márquez located the saga of the Buendía family. But Macondo is not only a fictional town. Silvana Paternostro, a Colombian journalist in London, and Hector Hoyos, a Colombian professor at Stanford University, discuss their own experiences coming in and out of Macondo, and grappling with the ambivalent legacy of "magical realism". Nadia also welcomes the audience to the way we'll read the novel, together.

For over fifty years, the characters of One Hundred Years of Solitude have lived freely in the imaginations of readers around the world. But with the upcoming Netflix adaptation, this iconic story is about to take on a whole new dimension, transforming how we experience García Márquez’s extraordinary metaphor of humanity’s history.

One Hundred Years of Solitude Together is a podcast series for both longtime fans of this literary masterpiece and for those who have always wanted to dive into its magical world. It’s also perfect for viewers eagerly anticipating the new Netflix series. Through eight episodes, Nadia Celis and her guests will guide you on a journey through Macondo, offering fresh insights that reveal why this novel is more relevant now than ever before.