Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; ; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a
Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as
Gabo or
Gabito throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century and one of the best in the
Spanish language, he was awarded the 1972
Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982
Nobel Prize in Literature. He pursued a self-directed education that resulted in his leaving law school for a career in journalism. From early on, he showed no inhibitions in his criticism of Colombian and foreign politics. In 1958, he married Mercedes Barcha; they had two sons,
Rodrigo and Gonzalo.