Mexico and Colombia hold memorials for Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- 10 years ago
Mexico has held a public memorial for Nobel prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez who died last Thursday aged 87.
His widow, Mercedes Barcha and his sons were joined by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto along with the leader of his native Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos.
Garcia Marquez was cremated at a private family ceremony in Mexico City last week.
President Enrique Peña Nieto gave an address in which he paid tribute to the writer: “If we want to represent Latin America with a symbol of emotion, generosity and greatness, Gabriel Garcia Marquez would be an ideal candidate.”
Although the author had made his home in Mexico, back in Colombia, in his birthplace of Aracataca, locals held their own memorial.
One local summed up many people’s feelings saying, “among much sadness for the writer there was a strong sentiment of nostalgia”.
The centre piece of Aracataca’s memorial was a symbolic urn filled with messages honouring the ‘local boy’ who went on to write works such as “One Hundred Years of Solitude” which critics say will be remembered by generations to come.
In the Colombian capital Bogota there is to be an expo of the novelist, and journalist affectionately known as ‘Gabo’.
There the life and times of the man regarded as one of the finest writers in the Spanish language will be celebrated.
His widow, Mercedes Barcha and his sons were joined by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto along with the leader of his native Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos.
Garcia Marquez was cremated at a private family ceremony in Mexico City last week.
President Enrique Peña Nieto gave an address in which he paid tribute to the writer: “If we want to represent Latin America with a symbol of emotion, generosity and greatness, Gabriel Garcia Marquez would be an ideal candidate.”
Although the author had made his home in Mexico, back in Colombia, in his birthplace of Aracataca, locals held their own memorial.
One local summed up many people’s feelings saying, “among much sadness for the writer there was a strong sentiment of nostalgia”.
The centre piece of Aracataca’s memorial was a symbolic urn filled with messages honouring the ‘local boy’ who went on to write works such as “One Hundred Years of Solitude” which critics say will be remembered by generations to come.
In the Colombian capital Bogota there is to be an expo of the novelist, and journalist affectionately known as ‘Gabo’.
There the life and times of the man regarded as one of the finest writers in the Spanish language will be celebrated.