Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Essay by yankeesmamiHigh School, 10th gradeA, November 2006

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When Colombia gained its independence from Spain in 1810, it became one of the oldest Southern American democracies. But since then, Colombia has not known anything related to harmony and justice. With Colombia's reputation being nothing but wars and drugs, many well accomplished authors have not been recognized for their stupendous works such as Alvaro Cepeda Samudio, Andres Caicedo and many others. But one of these many authors that made his works worldwide was Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Gabo(nickname) was born on March 6, 1928 in a town called Aracataca in Northern Colombia. He was brought up by his maternal grandparents Colonel Nicolas Ricardo Marquez Mejia and Tranquilina Iguaran Cotes. As a child he grew up in a house filled with numerous amounts of family members and legends of ghosts and ghouls. Garcia's parents, Luisa Santiaga Marquez Iguran and Gabriel Eligio Garcia, were both madly in love with each other despite the disapprovement of her father.

Finally, after "wooing her with violin serenades and countless letters...gave her hand in marriage...and settled in Colonel's old home town of Riohacha.(Ruch)."

After his grandparents passed away, he was sent to live in Sucre with his parents and began his grammar schooling in a boarding school in Barranquilla. At the age of 12, he was awarded a scholarship to the Liceo Nacional, a Jesuit school(Catholic School). Located 30 miles from the capital city, Bogota, he became a discriminant person to the city and its citizens, establishing himself as a costeño, or a person from the coast. He graduated high school at 18 and followed his parents dreams and attended law school were he met his future wife, Mercedes Barcha Pardo. Attending law school opened his mind and assured Gabriel that he was passionate for his writing and once reading Franz Kafka The Metamorphosis...