A story purportedly written by Gabriel García Márquez on how he is dying of cancer, published in an Italian magazine, prompted this reply from the author’s agent Carmen Balcells to a request for British publishing rights: “García Márquez is ashamed that this rubbish might be

considered as a text written by him. It has gone around the world and I

have no means of righting this usurpation of his name. It seems to proceed

from a Colombian actor whom I hope I will never run into or I will insult

him as he deserves.”