Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal

Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal (born 31 October 1945) is a Colombian writer and politician.^[1] He attended the University of Valle and was the runner-up for a Premio Nadal in 1971 for Dabeiba. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984, and was Governor of Valle del Cauca Department from 1998 to 1999. He also wrote the highly rated telenovela El Bazar de los Idiotas. He is one of the few atheists to hold public office in Colombia.^[2]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Álvarez and the second or maternal family name is Gardeazábal.

Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal
66th Governor of Valle del Cauca
In office 1 January 1998 (1998-01-01) – 28 July 1999 (1999-07-28)
Preceded by	Germán Villegas Villegas
Succeeded by	Juan Fernando Bonilla
Personal details
Born	(1945-10-31) 31 October 1945 (age 79) Tuluá, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Alma mater	University of Valle (BA, 1970)
Profession	Writer