Germán Espinosa Villareal (April 30, 1938 – October 17, 2007) was a Colombian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

born and based in

Cartagena, Colombia Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past role as a link in the route ...

. He wrote over forty works over the course of his career. He often used his native Cartagena for the backdrop or inspiration for his writings. His

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

writings featured such diverse topics as

witches Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

, pirates and the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

. Espinosa was often called "Gabo sin Nobel," or "Garcia Marquez without the Nobel" in English. The quote referred to fellow Colombian writer,

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th centur ...

, who won the

Nobel Prize for Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in t ...

in 1982. Espinosa was best known for his 1982

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

"La Tejedora de Coronas" (The Weaver of Crowns). which focuses on the main character, Genoveva Alcocer, and is set in 17th century Cartagena. Espinosa once called the city of Cartagena a "city of legends." "Perhaps the legends that arose in my city were the product of the inactivity of the people, since, for so long, almost the entire 19th century . . . there was nothing much to do other than invent, speak, read and remember." His books are a real milestone for Colombian and American Literature. Some of his novels are "La Balada del Pajarillo" (the Ballad of the little bird), "Cuando Besan las Sombras" (When shadows kiss), "El Signo del Pez" (The Sign of the Fish) and "Aitana", dedicated to his deceased wife, Josefina. He also wrote several books of short stories. Germán Espinosa died of cancer on October 17, 2007, in Cartagena at the age of 69.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinosa, German 1938 births 2007 deaths People from Cartagena, Colombia Colombian male novelists 20th-century Colombian poets Colombian male poets 20th-century Colombian novelists 20th-century Colombian male writers