The Influence of Franz Kafka on Three Novels by Gabriel García Márquez

The purpose of this study is to show Kafka's thematic and stylistic influence on the three recent novels by Garcia Marquez, and to explore the metaphysical topics of human solitude, the meaning of life and death, the individual search for spirituality, modern man's alienation, and the continuous striving for personal freedom. Both writers are true representatives of the Twentieth Century and are strongly influenced by existential thought, based on the world view of Kierkegaard and Heidegger.