In his younger days, Sim n Bolivar swept the Spanish back to Europe, liberating South America with his youthful vitality. Lonely, embittered and sickly, his power has dwindled and The Liberator enters the exile of retirement.

Bolivar's journey is hindered by his own reluctance to relinquish his power. Despite the assassination attempts, jeering and humiliation he encounters, his fear of fading into the shadows keeps him clinging to the man he used to be...

The General in His Labyrinth is re-issued on Gabriel Garcia Marquez 's birthday to celebrate the publication of his books as ebooks for the first time.