Published on April 18th, 2014 | by Mark Chesnut
Novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, meeting travel writer Mark Chesnut in Cartagena.
The Night I Met Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Cartagena
Sometimes wonderful things happen unexpectedly. That was the case last year, when I was on a press trip to Colombia, to check out the sleek, beachfront Holiday Inn Cartagena Morros and the many tourist attractions and activities in the city of Cartagena.
Our group of journalists went out for dinner one night to La Vitrola, a lovely little restaurant in the historic city center. After we were seated, we noticed an older gentlemen walk in and take a seat with a rather large group at the other end of the restaurant. “That’s Gabriel García Márquez!” exclaimed a sharp-eyed member of our group.
We saw that a small group of admirers had approached him after he sat down, and that he seemed jovial and happy to speak with them, so we made our way across the room to him as well. The Nobel Prize-winning novelist was charming and patient with all of us, taking time to shake hands and have a brief conversation with each of us (my conversation with him was about the beauty of Cartagena).
It was an honor not only to have met Gabriel García Márquez, but also to have witnessed his kindness, joviality and friendliness. The world may have lost one of its greatest literary voices with his passing on April 17, but he has left us many, many words that will live on forever.
About the Author
Mark Chesnut The founder and editor of LatinFlyer.com, Mark has more than 15 years of experience as a writer, editor and manager. He's worked with some of the biggest consumer, in-flight and travel trade publishers that cover Latin America.
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