Tribute: Gregory Rabassa

Gabriel Garcia Marquez described Gregory Rabassa as “the best Latin American writer in the English language.” And he should know, as Gregory Rabassa brought the sinuous world of magical realism in One Hundred Years of Solitude to vivid life for English speakers through his masterful translations – along with many other Spanish and Portuguese novels. Gregory Rabassa had never intended to become a translator, expecting to spend his life on the faculty at Queens College. But once he was enlisted for Julio Cortázar’s Hopscotch, his finesse became much in demand. He died at the age of 94. But you can hear him discuss the literary contributions that Clarice Lispector made to Brazilian writing with Leonard, back in March of 2005.