Gabriel García Márquez was a Colombian novelist, short story writer, and journalist, born on March 6, 1927. He is best known for his influential works in the genre of magical realism, which blends fantastical elements with realistic settings. His most famous novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, explores the Buendía family over several generations in the fictional town of Macondo. García Márquez received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 for his contributions to literature. His writing often reflects themes of solitude, love, and the complexities of Latin American culture. Other notable works include Love in the Time of Cholera and Chronicle of a Death Foretold. He passed away on April 17, 2014.