In Evil Hour
Encyclopedia
In Evil Hour is a novel
by Colombia
n writer Gabriel García Márquez
, first published (in an edition disowned by the author http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1982/marquez-bio.html) in 1962.
Written while García Márquez lived in Paris
, the story was originally entitled Este pueblo de mierda (This Town of Shit or This Shitty Town). Rewritten, it won a literary prize in Colombia
.
Some of the same characters and situations found in La mala hora later re-appear in Cien años de soledad.
s about the town, outlining the locals' shameful secrets. Some dismiss these as common gossip. However, when a man kills his wife's supposed lover after reading of her infidelity, the mayor decides that action is called for. He declares martial law
and sends soldiers (really just armed thugs) to patrol the streets. He also uses the 'state of unrest' as an excuse to crack down on his political enemies.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n writer Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
, first published (in an edition disowned by the author http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1982/marquez-bio.html) in 1962.
Written while García Márquez lived in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, the story was originally entitled Este pueblo de mierda (This Town of Shit or This Shitty Town). Rewritten, it won a literary prize in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
Some of the same characters and situations found in La mala hora later re-appear in Cien años de soledad.
Plot
In Evil Hour takes place in a nameless Colombian village. Someone has been placing satirical pasquinadePasquinade
Pasquino or Pasquin is the name used by Romans to describe a battered Hellenistic-style statue dating to the 3rd century BC, which was unearthed in the Parione district of Rome in the 15th century...
s about the town, outlining the locals' shameful secrets. Some dismiss these as common gossip. However, when a man kills his wife's supposed lover after reading of her infidelity, the mayor decides that action is called for. He declares martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
and sends soldiers (really just armed thugs) to patrol the streets. He also uses the 'state of unrest' as an excuse to crack down on his political enemies.
External links
- In Evil Hour at "The Modern Word"'s García Márquez website.