A masterly biography, based on 15 years research, exclusive access and a wide knowledge of Marquez's world, illustrated with 16 pages of photographs. For years to come, this will be the authority on one of the world's greatest authors.

'Gabriel Garcia Marquez once remarked that "every self-respecting writer should have an English biographer". He could have asked for none more accomplished than Gerald Martin' Angel Gurria-Quintana, Financial Times 'Gerald Martin has done a good job here in presenting the myths about the career, as well as debunking many of them' Philip Hensher, Spectator 'Masterful an astonishing feat: a subtle tribute to a very complex man and an indispensable key to his life's work' Ed King, Sunday Telegraph 'Martin blends the stories and novels superbly into his narrative This first biography in English helps readers to ground his exceptional fiction in history' Jason Wilson, Independent Book of the Week

Gerald Martin is Andrew Mellon Professor of Modern Languages at the University of Pittsburgh and president of the International Institute of Ibero-American Literature. Publications include Journeys Through the Labyrinth (1989), critical editions of Miguel Angel Asturias's Hombres de maiz (1992) and El Senor Presidente (2000), as well as several major contributions to the Cambridge History of Latin America.