A $13 million library being built in Spain will be named after Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. The city council of Barcelona is to open the library, which is a part of a 20-year-old plan.
“When García Márquez died in 2014, the plan for the new library was on the way, so it was decided to name it after the Latin American author because of his close association with the city. It is also a nod to the role of Barcelonain Latin American literature,” Neus Castellano, the library's chief librarian said.
Garcia Marquez lived in Barcelona from 1967 to 1975. However, it was Barcelona literary agent Carmen Balcells who convinced Marquez to move to the city. She represented famous names of Latin American fiction such as Julio Cortazar, Mario Vargas Llosa, Carlos Fuentes and Pablo Neruda.
“They called Carmen Balcells 'Mama' because she helped them not only in writing but also finding a place to stay or school for their children,” Castellano recalls.
In his book about the period, "These Boom Years," journalist Xavi Ayen, describes how Balcells once asked Gabo (Marquez) what he wanted for his birthday, and “3,000 dollars,” he replied. According to Ayen, Balcells sent him $3,000 on his birthday for the rest of his life.
Named after Marquez, the new library will be built in a 4,000-square-foot (372-square-meter) timber-framed building that has been awarded the gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
Located in the Sant Marti de Provençals district, the library will specialize in Latin American literature offering a collection of 40,000 related documents.
