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Fidel Castro and Garcia Marquez: Most Important Latin American Figures of the 20th Century

CUBA, October 27, 2009. The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez are the most important Latin American figures of the 20th century, according to British intellectual Gerald Martin.

Granma newspaper reports that Martin, a prolific critic of Latin American fiction particularly known for his work on the Guatemalan author Miguel Ángel Asturias and on García Márquez, made the statement during an interview with Mexico’s MVS.

“Undoubtedly, Castro is the most influential Latin American politician of the 20th century,” said Martin. “Regardless of anyone’s opinion of Garcia Marquez, he is the most famous and renowned Latin American writer in the world,” he added.

He admitted that it is very difficult to summarize the long-standing relationship between Fidel Castro and Garcia Marquez and recognized that this friendship between the Cuban leader and the Colombian writer was somehow natural.

“They have many things in common and share a lot of viewpoints on many topics,” he stressed.

Educated in Britain (with a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh), Martin subsequently taught for many years as Emeritus Professor of Modern Languages in the Hispanic Studies Department at the University of Pittsburgh.
(Cubaminrex- ACN)

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