 The novel was published in 1989 , when the Soviet Union was disintegrating and the political map was being radically redrawn . Reviewing The General in His Labyrinth in 1990 , the novelist Margaret Atwood pointed to another instance of García Márquez raising political issues through the character of the General . He has him tell his aide that the United States is " omnipotent and terrible , and that its tale of liberty will end in a plague of miseries for us all " . Atwood noted the contemporary relevance of this sentiment , since " the patterns of Latin American politics , and of United States intervention in them , have not changed much in 160 years . " She suggested that García Márquez 's fictionalization of Bolívar is a lesson " for our own turbulent age ... Revolutions have a long history of eating their progenitors . " The central character is a man at the end of his life , who has seen his revolution and dream of a united Latin America fail . 
 The novel was published in 1989 , when the Soviet Union was disintegrating and the political map was being radically redrawn . Reviewing The General in His Labyrinth in 1990 , the novelist Margaret Atwood pointed to another instance of García Márquez raising political issues through the character of the General . He <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>has</mark></a> him tell his aide that the United States is " omnipotent and terrible , and that its tale of liberty will end in a plague of miseries for us all " . Atwood noted the contemporary relevance of this sentiment , since " the patterns of Latin American politics , and of United States intervention in them , <a href='been_done' title='2'><mark>have</mark></a> not changed much in 160 <a href='negative_concord' title='3'><mark>years</mark></a> . " She suggested that García Márquez <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'s</mark></a>fictionalization of Bolívar is a lesson " for our own turbulent age ... Revolutions <a href='got' title='5'><mark>have</mark></a> a long history of eating their progenitors . " The central character <a href='drop_aux' title='6'><mark>is</mark></a>a man at the end of his life , <a href='null_relcl' title='7'><mark>who</mark></a><a href='been_done' title='8'><mark>has</mark></a> seen his revolution and dream of a united Latin America fail . 
The novel was published in 1989 , when the Soviet Union was disintegrating and da political map was being radically redrawn . Reviewing The General in His Labyrinth in 1990 , the novelist Margaret Atwood pointed to another instance of García Márquez raising political issues through tdacharacter of thdaeneral . He have him tell his aide that thedaited States is " omnipotent and terrible , and that its tale of liberty will end in a plague of miseries fir us all " . Atwood noted the contemporary relevance of this sentiment , since " the patterns of Latin American politics , and of United States intervention in em , done not changed much in 160 no years . " She suggested that García Márquez  fictionalization of Bolívar is a lesson " fir our own turbulent age ... Revolutions got a long history of eating their progenitors . " The datral character a man at the edaof his life , done seen his revolution and dream of a united Latin America fail .