Fans mourn the loss of their great storyteller Garcia Marquez

Lovers of literature the world over are mourning the death of one of the modern greats, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. From his Colombian hometown to communities up and down Latin America he is being celebrated as the man who launched the “magical realism” style, and rejuvenated Spanish-language writing. His works have sold in the tens of millions, and have been translated into virtually every language on the planet. “I’m feeling very affected, very sad and bereft of Gabo’s writing,” said friend Carmen Santiago. Garcia Marquez died at his home in Mexico after returning from hospital where he had been taken for treatment for pneumonia, his wife and two of his children by his side. “We have to give thanks for everything that he left us and for everything he taught us because he taught us another way to see the world. Thank you is all I want to say,” said fan Minerva Diaz. He attributed his storytelling powers to the tales told him by his grandmother, always stuffed with folklore and superstition, yet delivered with a straight face. His literary journey seemed sometimes the stuff of magic itself, as he entranced his millions of readers the world over.