Former US president Bill Clinton believes Marquez is the most important writer of fiction in any language since the death of writer William Faulkner. High praise indeed for the novelist born in the small Colombian town of Aracataca.
Taken care of by his grandparents, Marquez studied law and journalism first at the National University of Colombia, then at the University of Cartagena. Writing was clearly all he wanted to do, considering he began his career as a reporter, before rising to the post of editor. That he was influential is also obvious, as he began attracting all kinds of journalists and writers. As a foreign correspondent, he also began to travel widely. These people, ideas, countries and experiences soon came together, shaping his work to come.
Over the years, he took on a great many roles -- from journalist to publisher to political activist. And yes, along the way, he rose to become one of South America's greatest authors of the twentieth century.
Image: A young Mexican reads a special newspaper supplement dedicated to Marquez on his birthday, March 6, 2007, in Mexico City
Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images
Also see: 'William Shakespeare is our heritage too'
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