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Chinese Writers Mourn Death of Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Chinese novelists are mourning the passing of Colombian Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who died in his Mexico home at the age of 87.

Considered one of the world's greatest Spanish language authors, Garcia Marquez was best known for his masterpiece of magical realism, One Hundred Years of Solitude, which inspired countless writers and authors worldwide, including China.

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The 1967 novel sold more than 30 million copies and Garcia Marquez took home the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. Chinese novelists said Garcia had been a major influence in their writing and that his legacy will live on

Chinese novelists Jia Pingwa, Han Shaogong and Mo Yan have all agreed that the Colombian writer Garcia Marquez was a great inspiration that brought out the best in them. In 2012, Mo Yan also received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

These Chinese writers have followed Marquez's writing techniques and also took inspiration in the grassroots life as a theme for their work.

Despite Garcia's refusal to sell the copyright of his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude to China, the book had already been pirated and being sold in Chinese bookstores way back in 2010.

Garcia had earlier resented the rampant piracy of his works when he found copies of his books sold in bookstores in Beijing during his visit to the city in 1990

Marquez was quoted as saying that he will never authorize the copyright to his books, including One Hundred Years of Solitude, to China even after 150 years from his death.

Copies of Garcia's works have been pirated and are being sold at roadside stands in China, most of them in Chinese and English translations. His works can also be downloaded for free on the Internet.

The rampant piracy of Garcia Marquez's works in China only showed the author's popularity and influence in the country.

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