''The Evil Hour'' ( es, La mala hora) is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

n writer

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one ...

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

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, 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''.

Plot

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

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

. Someone has been placing

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

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 ...

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

gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means ...

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

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

, the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

decides that action is called for. He declares

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

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 editi ...

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

External links

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