''In Evil Hour'' () is a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

n writer

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th centur ...

, first published (in an edition disowned by the author) in 1962. Written while García Márquez lived in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, the story was originally entitled ''Este pueblo de mierda'' (''This Town of Shit'' or ''This Shitty Town''). Rewritten, it won a literary prize in

. Some of the same characters and situations found in ''La mala hora'' later re-appear in ''

Cien años de soledad ''One Hundred Years of Solitude'' (, ) is a 1967 novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez that tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founded the fictitious town of Macondo ...

''.

Plot

''In Evil Hour'' takes place in a nameless Colombian

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

. Someone has been placing

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

pasquinade A pasquinade or pasquil is a form of satire, usually an anonymous brief lampoon in verse or prose, and can also be seen as a form of literary caricature. The genre became popular in early modern Europe, in the 16th century, though the term had b ...

s about the town, outlining the locals' shameful secrets. Some dismiss these as common

gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Etymology The word is from Old English ''godsibb'', from ''god (word), god'' and ''sibb'', the term for the ...

. However, when a man kills his wife's supposed lover after reading of her

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include non-consensual non-monogamy, cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, se ...

, the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

decides that action is called for. He declares

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

and sends soldiers (who are actually armed thugs) to patrol the streets. He also uses the 'state of unrest' as an excuse to crack down on his political enemies.

References

* Dabove, Juan Pablo. “Los pasquines como alegoría de la disolución de la ciudadanía en La mala hora, de Gabriel García Márquez”. Revista de crítica literaria latinoamerican

XXVI.52: 269-287. * Lydia Hazera, "Estructura y tematica de ''La mala hora'' de Gabriel Garcia Marquez." ''Thesaurus: Boletin del

Instituto Caro y Cuervo The Caro and Cuervo Institute (Spanish: ''Instituto Caro y Cuervo'') is an educative centre specialising in Spanish literature, philology and linguistics, with a focus on research and promotion of reading in Colombia. The institute produces editio ...

'' 28 (1973): 471-81. *

External links

In Evil Hour
at "The Modern Word"'s García Márquez website. {{Gabriel García Márquez 1962 novels 1962 debut novels 20th-century Colombian novels Harper & Row books Novels by Gabriel García Márquez Novels set in Colombia