Narconovela colombiana: narrativa de corte thanático

This article comprises an inventory of the motif of death within the narrative syntax of several Colombian narco novels. “Sicaresca” novels by Fernando Vallejo, Jorge Franco and Arturo Alape will be discussed. The construct of the cha-racters, young contract killers, whose violent and premature deaths are seen as their fate, will be shown to display an indisputably “Thanatotic” facet. In the se-cond part of this article, the ritual dimension of death, presented in the novels “Comandante Paraíso” by Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal and “Leopardo al sol” by Laura Restrepo, will be analysed. The last part will be dedicated to the ico-nic and symbolic dimension of Pablo Escobar’s death depicted in “El ruido de las cosas al caer” by Juan Gabriel Vásquez and “Happy birthday, capo” by José Libardo Porras.