The Most Famous
WRITERS from Colombia
This page contains a list of the greatest Colombian Writers. The pantheon dataset contains 5,755 Writers, 8 of which were born in Colombia. This makes Colombia the birth place of the 70th most number of Writers behind Kazakhstan and Albania.
Top 8
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Colombian Writers of all time. This list of famous Colombian Writers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Gabriel García Márquez (1927 - 2014)
With an HPI of 79.79, Gabriel García Márquez is the most famous Colombian Writer. His biography has been translated into 149 different languages on wikipedia.
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (Latin American Spanish: [ɡaˈβɾjel ɣaɾˈsi.a ˈmaɾ.kes] ; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo ([ˈɡaβo]) or Gabito ([ɡaˈβito]) throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century, particularly in the Spanish language, he was awarded the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. He pursued a self-directed education that resulted in leaving law school for a career in journalism. From early on he showed no inhibitions in his criticism of Colombian and foreign politics. In 1958, he married Mercedes Barcha Pardo; they had two sons, Rodrigo and Gonzalo. García Márquez started as a journalist and wrote many acclaimed non-fiction works and short stories. He is best known for his novels, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) which sold over fifty million copies, Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981), and Love in the Time of Cholera (1985). His works have achieved significant critical acclaim and widespread commercial success, most notably for popularizing a literary style known as magic realism, which uses magical elements and events in otherwise ordinary and realistic situations. Some of his works are set in the fictional village of Macondo (mainly inspired by his birthplace, Aracataca), and most of them explore the theme of solitude. He is the most-translated Spanish-language author. Upon García Márquez's death in April 2014, Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Colombia, called him "the greatest Colombian who ever lived."
2. Nicolás Gómez Dávila (1913 - 1994)
With an HPI of 58.64, Nicolás Gómez Dávila is the 2nd most famous Colombian Writer. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Nicolás Gómez Dávila (locally [nikoˈlaz ˈɡomez ˈdaβila]; 18 May 1913 – 17 May 1994) was a Colombian reactionary philosopher and aphorist sometimes referred to as “Nietzsche from the Andes.” Gómez Dávila's fame began to spread only in the last few years before his death, particularly by way of German translations of his works. He was one of the most radical critics of modernity whose work consists almost entirely of aphorisms which he called "escolios" ("scholia" or "glosses").
3. Samael Aun Weor (1917 - 1977)
With an HPI of 54.79, Samael Aun Weor is the 3rd most famous Colombian Writer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Samael Aun Weor (Hebrew: סמאל און ואור; March 6, 1917 – December 24, 1977), born Víctor Manuel Gómez Rodríguez, was a teacher and author of over sixty books of esoteric spirituality. He formed a prominent movement which he formed under the banner of "Universal Gnosticism", or simply gnosis. A prolific author, Gómez taught the practical & esoteric principles to awaken & fundamentally change the psychological condition. He first made a name in the early gnostic movement in his native country of Colombia, before moving to Mexico in 1956, where his movement gained increased popularity, and his works became popular among practitioners of occultism and esotericism, and were translated into other languages. His doctrine is studied widely to this day In 1948, Gómez referred to himself as the name of his being, Aun Weor, which means "the verb or messenger of God." In 1954, after undergoing a ceremony he described as the birth of "Inner Christ," he adopted the name of Samael Aun Weor, which he used until his death in 1977. Samael Aun Weor referred to his teachings as "The Doctrine of Synthesis", which not only emphasizes the existence of the perennial philosophy, but that its highest teleological function is the accomplishment of "Christification" and "Final Liberation".
4. Álvaro Mutis (1923 - 2013)
With an HPI of 54.48, Álvaro Mutis is the 4th most famous Colombian Writer. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.
Álvaro Mutis Jaramillo (August 25, 1923 – September 22, 2013) was a Colombian poet, novelist, and essayist. His best-known work is the novel sequence The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll, which revolves around the character of Maqroll el Gaviero. He won the 1991 International Nonino Prize in Italy. He was awarded the 2001 Miguel de Cervantes Prize and the 2002 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
5. Jorge Isaacs (1837 - 1895)
With an HPI of 49.53, Jorge Isaacs is the 5th most famous Colombian Writer. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Jorge Isaacs Ferrer (April 1, 1837 – April 17, 1895) was a Colombian writer, politician and soldier. His only novel, María, became one of the most notable works of the Romantic movement in Spanish-language literature.
6. Fernando Vallejo (1942 - )
With an HPI of 48.28, Fernando Vallejo is the 6th most famous Colombian Writer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Fernando Vallejo Rendón (born 1942 in Medellín, Colombia) is a Colombian-born novelist, filmmaker and essayist. He obtained Mexican nationality in 2007.
7. José Eustasio Rivera (1888 - 1928)
With an HPI of 46.36, José Eustasio Rivera is the 7th most famous Colombian Writer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
José Eustasio Rivera Salas (February 19, 1888 – December 1, 1928) was a Colombian lawyer and author primarily known for his national epic The Vortex.
8. Juan Gabriel Vásquez (1973 - )
With an HPI of 39.15, Juan Gabriel Vásquez is the 8th most famous Colombian Writer. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.
Juan Gabriel Vásquez (born 1973) is a Colombian writer, journalist and translator. He has written many novels, short stories, literary essays, and numerous articles of political commentary. His novel The Sound of Things Falling, published in Spanish in 2011, won the Alfaguara Novel Prize and the 2014 International Dublin Literary Award, among other prizes. His novels have been published in 28 languages. In 2012, after living in Europe for sixteen years, in Paris, the Belgian Ardennes, and Barcelona, Vásquez moved with his family back to Bogotá.
Pantheon has 8 people classified as writers born between 1837 and 1973. Of these 8, 2 (25.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living writers include Fernando Vallejo and Juan Gabriel Vásquez. The most famous deceased writers include Gabriel García Márquez, Nicolás Gómez Dávila, and Samael Aun Weor.
Living Writers
Go to all RankingsDeceased Writers
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Gabriel García Márquez
1927 - 2014
HPI: 79.79
Nicolás Gómez Dávila
1913 - 1994
HPI: 58.64
Samael Aun Weor
1917 - 1977
HPI: 54.79
Álvaro Mutis
1923 - 2013
HPI: 54.48
Jorge Isaacs
1837 - 1895
HPI: 49.53
José Eustasio Rivera
1888 - 1928
HPI: 46.36
Which Writers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 6 most globally memorable Writers since 1700.
