Several hundred persons turned out last week at Havanas Pabellon Cuba for the presentation of a new Cuban edition of the book One Hundred Years of Solitude by Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

A project of the Art and Literature Publishing House of the Cuban Book Institute and illustrated by artist Roberto Fabelo, the edition consists of 10,000 copies. The book will be put on sale massively at the upcoming Cuban International Book Fair that begins on February 13th, 2008.

Poet and essayist Roberto Méndez pointed out that One Hundred Years of Solitude has been translated into 35 languages and "can help change the world and tear down borders between human beings."

Present at the packed auditorium were Culture minister Abel Prieto, Communist Youth League First Secretary Julio Martinez, Cuban Book Institute president Iroel Sanchez and Luis Morlote Rivas, president of the Hermanos Saiz Association.

Abel Prieto said that Garcia Marquez, a long time friend of Cuba and president Fidel Castro, supported the idea for a new Cuban edition of his novel and said a copy was delivered to the commander-in-chief.

The printing of One Hundred Years of Solitude, which revolutionized 20th century Latin American fiction, is part of the tribute taking place around the world to "Gabo" marking his 80th birthday and the 40th anniversary of the first printing of his prize winning novel.

(www.granma.co.cu)