Gabriel García Márquez

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Gabriel García Márquez
García Márquez in February 2002
García Márquez in February 2002
Born(1927-03-06)March 6, 1927
Aracataca, Colombia
DiedApril 17, 2014(2014-04-17) (aged 87)
Mexico City, Mexico
Occupationnovelist, short-story writer, and journalist.
NationalityColombian
Literary movementMagical Realism

Signature

Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez, also known as Gabo (March 6, 1927[1] – April 17, 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist.

Márquez was concieved in a small town in Colombia, Aracataca. He originally studied to become a journalist. He began writing at the age of eighteen. His first books were based on his life.

He was best known for his novels One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), The Autumn of the Patriarch (1975) and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985). His books were mainly about satire, solitude, magic realism, realism, and violence.

He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in December 1982. The reason was "for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts".

Márquez wrote his last book in 2004. He retired in May 2008 because of his age and health.

Since 2012, Márquez was sick with Alzheimer's disease. He lived with his wife, Mercedes Barcha in Mexico City. Márquez died in Mexico City from pneumonia. He was 87 years old.[2]

Early life[change | change source]

Márquez in 1984

Márquez was born in Aracataca, Colombia. His parents were Gabriel Eligio García and Luisa Santiaga Márquez. His father was a pharmacist. His mother left him at a young age and he was raised by his grandparents and father. He studied at the University of Cartagena.

Career[change | change source]

He started as a journalist, and wrote many famous non-fiction works and short stories. Márquez began writing at the age of eighteen. He began writing about living in an old house with grandparents.

He is best known for his novels, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), The Autumn of the Patriarch (1975), Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981) and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985).

Most of his books are based or set in his birth_place, Aracataca. He mostly wrote books about realism or magical realism. His motifs included solitude and violence.

Nobel Prize[change | change source]

García Márquez signing a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude in Havana, Cuba.

In 1982, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his novels and short stories, in which the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting a continent's life and conflicts".[3][4] When he was accepting the award, Márquez gave a speech called "The Solitude of Latin America".

Recent Work[change | change source]

In 2002, he published the memoir Vivir para contarla; the first of a projected three-volume autobiography. In 2004, he published another book named Memories of My Melancholy Whores. It caused many problems and controversies in Iran. This book is banned in Iran.

Movies[change | change source]

Several of his stories have inspired other writers and directors. In 1987, the Italian director Francesco Rosi directed the movie Cronaca di una morte annunciata, based on Chronicle of a Death Foretold, written by Márquez.

A number of movies have been made of García Márquez's work. He also wrote some scripts for movies. He often worked with Carlos Fuentes for writing scripts. His famous book, Love in the Time of Cholera was also made into a movie in 2007.

Personal life[change | change source]

Márquez in 2005

Márquez met his wife, Mercedes Barcha, when they were in college. They wanted to get married when they both finished college but Márquez was sent to Europe. When he returned, Márquez married Barcha in 1958.

Márquez had two sons with Barcha. His first son, Rodrigo García, was born in 1959, one year after Márquez and Barcha were married. His second son, Gonzalo, was born in 1962 in Mexico. Rodrigo is a movie director and Gonzalo is a graphic designer.

Márquez in 2009

Márquez and his family traveled by bus to Mexico. They settled in Mexico City. Márquez had always wanted to see the Southern United States because it inspired the writings of William Faulkner. Márquez lived with his family in Mexico City.

Health[change | change source]

In 1999, García Márquez was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. He went through chemotherapy and made a quick recovery. But, Márquez began developing side effects of old age which drove to his retirement in May 2008.

In 2012, Márquez became sick from Alzheimer's disease.[5] On April 3, 2014, Márquez was hospitalized in Mexico. He had infections in his lungs and his urinary tract and was suffering from dehydration. Márquez later had pneumonia.

Death[change | change source]

Márquez died of pneumonia at age 87 in Mexico City, Mexico.[6] His remains were cremated the next day.

Literary Work[change | change source]

Novels[change | change source]

A plaque of Márquez in Paris

Short Story Collections[change | change source]

Non-fiction[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. Distintas ciudades del mundo rinden homenaje a García Márquez en su 80 cumpleaños. Archived 2008-03-06 at the Wayback Machine Clarin (2007-03-06). Retrieved on 2008-02-05. (in Spanish)
  2. Torres, Paloma (17 April 2014). "Gabriel García Márquez Dies: Famed Colombian Author And Nobel Laureate Dead At 87 From Pneumonia". Latin Times. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  3. "Nobel Prize in Literature for 1982". Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2008-02-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "Nobelprize.org". Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2008-02-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. Alexander, Harriet (7 June 2012). "Gabriel Garcia Marquez suffering from dementia". The Telegraph.
  6. Castillo, E. Eduardo; Bajak, Frank (17 April 2014). "Garcia Marquez, Nobel Laureate, Dies at 87". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 17 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. https://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/i/3EWowq/dement-forfatter-visste-best. Retrieved 2024-03-06
  8. "March 2024 is publication date for Márquez's 'lost' novel, Until August". The Bookseller. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.

Further reading[change | change source]

Other websites[change | change source]

Quotations related to Gabriel García Márquez at Wikiquote Media related to Gabriel García Márquez at Wikimedia Commons