Balas y palabras: novela, testimonio y crónica sobre el sicario colombiano (1988-2023)

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the sociocultural phenomenon of hitmen in Colombia through its literary representation during the last 35 years. During that time, the figure of the hitman acquired great prominence both in the social reality and in the literary world of that country. More than one generation of writers has been interested in addressing the world of urban violence and has found in it an inexhaustible source of stories. Even today, the literary production on hitmen is still valid and has great commercial interest. This study analyzes the different representations of the Colombian hitman in the last decades from the genres of the novel, the testimony, and the chronicle. The narratological theories that are used here to analyze each work are those proposed by Gérard Genette and Mikhail Bakhtin. In this research, each text analyzed offers a new perspective to understand what the phenomenon of hitmen has represented for Colombian identity and imaginary. To achieve this objective, a study of the following texts is made: El sicario (1988) by Mario Bahamón Dussán, No nacimos pa’ semilla (1990) by Alonso Salazar, La Virgen de los Sicarios (1994) by Fernando Vallejo, Rosario Tijeras (1999) by Jorge Franco, Sangre Ajena (2000) by Arturo Alape, Balas por encargo by Juan Miguel Álvarez (2013) y Sobreviviendo a Escobar: «Popeye» el sicario 23 años y 3 meses de cárcel (2015) by Jhon Jairo Velásquez. Likewise, this work proposes to categorize Colombian literature on the hitman into three main groups: «the sicaresque novel», «the sicaresque testimony» and «the sicaresque chronicle». From the studies of each narrative, the importance of hitmen for Colombian identity is established, and a current autochthonous narrative of that country is identified.