Passion or Profession: Author

Period: 1928–

Born in the town of Aracataca, García Márquez is one of Latin America's greatest writers, using his novels to explore the lifestyle and mentality of his fellow Colombians. In 1967, he published One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad), the novel for which he has received the greatest acclaim. Other works include Love in the Time of Cholera (El amor en los tiempos del cólera) and The General in His Labyrinth (El general en su laberinto). He was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1982.