The General in His Labyrinth

The General in His Labyrinth is a 1989 historical novel by Colombian author and Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez. The novel tells the story of the last seven months of the life of South American military and political leader Simón Bolívar, who attempts to leave the continent for Europe after being driven into exile. The portrayal of Bolívar caused controversy on the novel’s release due to Márquez's use of fictionalized story elements. This guide is written using an eBook version of the 1990 Alfred A. Knopf edition, translated from Spanish into English by Edith Grossman.

Plot Summary

On May 8, 1830, the General (Simón Bolívar) prepares to travel to Bogotá. He is travelling to the Colombian capital to make the long trip to Europe. After a long campaign to unite the Spanish-speaking countries of South America into a vast republic, the General now faces exile. He has resigned as President of Gran Colombia and his subjects have rebelled, taunting him in the street and scrawling anti-Bolívar screeds on the walls. Though the General wants to leave as soon as possible, he does not yet have his travel documents. He pushes Domingo Caycedo, the recently elected Vice President, to furnish him with a passport. Once the paperwork is provided, General Simón José Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios will be able to set sail for Europe with the few men who remain loyal to him.

The journey along the coast to Bogotá is long. On the first night, the ship stops at the port in Facatativa, where the General and his men search for a place to stay. Their group includes clerks, dogs, five aides-de-camp, and the General's most favored confidante, José Palacios. Despite the General's former prestige, his fall from grace has been dramatic. He no longer possesses his vast fortune, and his health is beginning to decline rapidly, causing visible deterioration of his physical appearance to the point that he is almost unrecognizable. People mistake his younger, healthier subordinates for the man people once referred to as the Liberator.

The General's party is beset by delays, but eventually, they reach the Colombian town of Honda. The Governor of Hona, Posada Gutierrez, organizes a three-day celebration to welcome the General. The three days pass and, on the final night, the General discovers an old friend named Miranda Lyndsay waiting in his camp. More than a decade before, Miranda saved his life by warning him about an assassination plot; now, she asks him to pardon his husband for killing a man in a duel. Considering their friendship, the General promises to do what he can.

The next day, the party sails down the Magdalena River. While boarding the steep slopes along the dock, the General is too proud to use his sedan chair; He insists on walking himself. That night, the party stays in Puerto Real. The General praises the singing of a woman, but, after his companions search all night, no one can find her.

The General's entourage arrives in Mompox, a port town in northern Colombia. A police officer on the dock stops the group and fails to recognize the true identity of the General. He demands to see his passport, but, due to the problems in securing the documentation before departure, the General cannot produce one. When the police officer finally accepts that this is the famous Simón Bolívar, the General is permitted to pass. Entering Mompox, the General is greeted by loyal supporters who still consider him to be the true President of Gran Colombia. They host a banquet to welcome him but, due to his failing health and his diminished appetite, the General is not able to fully enjoy their hospitality. After the banquet, the party spends several days in Mompox and then departs for Turbaco.

The party arrives in Turbaco after a sleepless night in a nearby town. Though they had hoped to continue straight on to Cartagena, the General and his men are told that there are no ships set to sail for Europe. Furthermore, the passport that was promised to arrive in the mail has not yet come. Forced to wait for the next ship, the General finds a place to stay in the town. There, General Maríano Montilla and other companions from his previous life visit him. These visitors notice the General’s declining health and that he seems near death. One of the visitors is an Irishman, General Daniel Florencio O’Leary, once the General’s most trusted aide-de-camp. O’Leary shares news with the General: the Presidency of Gran Colombia is currently disputed, as General Rafael Urdaneta is calling the legitimacy of President-elect Joaquin Mosquera into question by. The General’s dream of a united Gran Colombia is beginning to crumble in his absence as Urdaneta plots a military coup.

When the General’s passport finally arrives, he is able to resume his journey. He and his entourage travel along the coast toward Cartagena. Along the way, they are met by more loyal supporters. Though many women surround the General and shower him with romantic affection, he is too weak and ill to engage with them.

The General learns that Field Marshal Sucre, the man he considers a great friend and his ideal choice as President of Gran Colombia, has been killed in an ambush. Moreover, General Rafael Urdaneta has seized control of the government after casting aspersions over the legitimacy of President-elect Joaquin Mosquera. In response, people have taken to the streets to call for the General’s return to power. The General is told that they sing his name. With his subordinates, the General begins to plot a military campaign that he will not live long enough to complete. Nevertheless, the General and his entourage continue their journey. They arrive in Soledad and spend more than a month in the Colombian town, due to the General's deteriorating health. At last, the General accepts that he needs medical help and allows a doctor to examine him.

Despite the long journey, the General never sets sail for Europe. He eventually reaches the town of Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast, but his health declines so much that he cannot travel. He is too weak to undertake the journey, and his entourage begins to dwindle until only his closest allies and his doctor remain with him. All the while, news filters through of the uprisings around the country, which threaten to tear Gran Colombia apart. The General dies alone in relative poverty, a pale shadow of the man who once freed and then tried to unite an entire continent.