Franz Kafka is one of the writers who many critics agree influenced García Márquez's early works. Kafka is best-known for his novella, The Metamorphosis, which was originally published in 1915. The story is told from the viewpoint of a young man who wakes up one day to find that he has been turned into a giant insect.

In 1950 when García Márquez published "The Woman Who Came at Six O'Clock," the small diner-style restaurant described in the story was typical of those found in South American towns. In the United States at the same time, diners were even more popular, as a result of a long tradition of convenience eating that began with horsedrawn lunch wagons. In his book The American Diner, published by Motorbooks International in 1999, pop culture historian Michael Karl examines the...