BY: Brandon Spicuzza

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on March 6, 1928 in Aracataca,Columbia. He lived with his Maternal Grandparents until the age of eight. They were a great influence on his life. His political beliefs were formed by the stories his grandfather told. His writing was also influenced by his grandmother’s stories of the supernatural beliefs. En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garcia_Marquez

Gabriel Marquez with his Grandparents, Dona Tranquilina Igaran Cotes and Colonel Nicolas Ricardo Marquez Mejia.

At the age of eight, Marquez’s Grandfather died and he went to live with his parents in Barranquilla where his formal education began. In 1940, he was awarded a scholorship to a secondary school for gifted students where his love of literature began. In 1946 he enrolled in the Universidad Nacional in Bogota as a law student. En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garcia_Marquez

Younger picture of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

1946 Met Mercedes in 1946, but did not marry her until Dropped out of law school to pursue writing. Published his first short story, “The Third Resignation”. l

This is Marquez and his wife Mercedes

Marquez began his career as a journalist by writing for El Universal in Cartagena in 1948 and1949. Faulkner Sophocles became his two biggest influences during the late forties and early fifties. He returned with his mother to Aracataca to sell his grandparents home and was inspired to write his first novel, Leaf Storm. En.wikipedia.org/wiki/gabriel_Garcia_Marquez

Aracataca, Columbia

In 1953, he quit his job and set out to sell encyclopedias in La Guajira. He accepted a position in 1954 on the staff of El Espectador as a writer of stories and film reviews. He was forced to leave Columbia for awhile due to a story he wrote called “The Truth About My Adventure by Luis Alejandro Velasco”. He traveled through Europe as a correspondent. l

Map of Columbia and surrounding countries.

In 1959 Marquez’s first son, Rodrigo, was born and the family moved to New York where he worked for the North American branch of Prensa Latina. His success was assured when he published “One Hundred Years of Solitude” in June of ,000 copies were sold within a week. In 1969 he won the Chianchiano Prize in Italy for the novel and it was named the Best Foreign Book in France. In 1970 it was published in English and was chosen as one of the best books of the year in the USA. l.

Marquez and his wife and children.

“Innocent Erendira and Other Stories” was published in 72 and “When I Was Happy and Uninformed” was published in 73. These were followed by “Autumn of the Patriarch” in 75. In 1981, he received the French Legion of Honor medal. He and a friend published “The Fragrance of Guava” in l.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Marquez’s success continued with works like: Love in the Time of Cholera, The General in his Labyrinth, Strange Pilgrims, Love and Other Demons, and News of a Kidnapping. In 1999, he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer which he suffers with today. In 1994 he founded the Fundacion Nuevo Periodismo Iberoammericano which helps young journalists. He is currently writing hi memoirs. The first volume was published in 2001, To Live to Tell It.

Book that started Marquez’s fame and fortune.

THE END