A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

Revered Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez first published “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”—a work of magical realism—in 1968. Gregory Rabassa translated the short story into English in 1971, and all quotes in this guide refer to this edition.

The story begins as a man named Pelayo kills crabs that heavy rains have washed into his house. In the muddy yard, Pelayo finds that something else has also washed up: an old man who cannot stand because he has giant, broken wings.

Pelayo runs to get his wife Elisenda, who is inside caring for their sickly newborn boy. Pelayo and Elisenda note the old man’s distressed appearance; he is “dressed like a ragpicker” with “only a few faded hairs left on his bald skull and very few teeth in his mouth” (Paragraph 2). His wings are falling apart and dirty, and when they speak to him, he responds in a language they cannot understand. Although they decide that he is a shipwrecked foreign sailor, they also consult with their neighbor—an old sage woman who tells them that the old man is an angel sent to take their sick child. She claims the angel has fallen victim to the storm because he is so old and recommends they beat him to death, but they refuse.