Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez was a Colombian author, screenwriter, journalist, and Latin American hero born on March 6, 1927, in Aracataca, Colombia. Marquez is widely considered one of the most significant Spanish-language authors of the 20th century. He received many awards in his lifetime, the highest among them being the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982.

Marquez was the son of a pharmacist who was left to be raised by his grandparents from a young age and later went on to study law at the National University of Colombia, where he took up journalism. During the late 1940s, Marquez made his money as a journalist for the El Universal in Cartagena and then, in the early 1950s, for the El Heraldo in Barranquilla. 

It was during this time that Marquez, known for his liberalism, helped with the coup d'etat of Venezuelan President Marcos Perez Jimenez. In 1958, Marquez married Mercedes Barcha, and the two had two sons shortly after. His first novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1967), was a huge success and one many awards, including the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. 

The book continues to be considered one of the greatest classic novels of the 20th century. After the book was published, Marquez lived in Spain for several years. During this time, he acted as a facilitator in negotiations between Colombia's government and the urban guerrillas in the country. Marquez's fame also led to many friendships with famous world leaders such as Fidel Castro, the former Cuban president. 

Because of his widely known views on United States imperialism, Marquez was denied entry into the US for many years. Marquez went on to publish many more beloved books, including "The Autumn of the Patriarch" (1975), "Chronicle of Death Foretold" (1981), and "Love in the Time of Cholera" (1985).

Marquez also wrote many screenplays that were made into movies in Latin America. He continued to work as an author and serve as a beloved national figure until April 17, 2014, when he died of pneumonia at the age of 87.

Marquez was cremated, and a formal ceremony was held several days later as a memorial of his life. The presidents of both Colombia and Mexico City attended the ceremony. Residents of his hometown of Aracataca also held a symbolic funeral in his honor.