Garcia Marquez Influences

On March 6, 1927, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century was born. Gabriel García Márquez was born in Aracataca, Colombia to Gabriel Eligio García and Luisa Santiaga Márquez. However, Gabriel García Márquez (known widely as Gabo) spent his first eight years raised by his maternal grandparents. His grandfather was a strict, retired colonel who did not want his daughter marrying a guy whose parents were telegraph operators and who had dropped out of medical school. After much persistence from Gabriel Eligio, the old colonel allowed the marriage. Gabo told the story of his parents courtship in the book we read, Love in the Time of Cholera. From his grandfather, Márquez heard many tales of war and conflict in his country of Colombia. Later in life, Márquez said that these stories were his most important literary sources. His grandmother was also an avid storyteller who told folkloric tales. The sincere manner in which she told her stories also greatly influenced the writing style Márquez used.

At this time, Márquez went to live with his parents, but only ended up living with them for a short while as he was sent to boarding school. At school Márquez was nicknamed “The Old Man,” because he avoided any physical activity, opting instead to draw comics for which he did not yet have the perfect language to express his glorious stories. At fourteen, Márquez was given a scholarship to secondary school. He graduated in 1946. Márquez wanted to pursue journalism, but upon his parents demanding, he studied law. The college where he was studying closed after a political conflict in Colombia and Márquez relocated to a college in Cartagena. During these years, he wrote a couple short stories. He also began to write pieces of journalism while in Cartagena. Surprisingly, Márquez never finished his college