The Development of Narco-Narratives in Colombia and Mexico (1990-2010)

Since the 1990' s, Mexico and Colombia have experienced a literary boom: a series of texts about drug trafficking that have shaped the cultural field of these two countries. This article maps out the narco-narratives by establishing their main characteristics and representative titles and authors. Products of a global phenomenon, narco-narratives highlight the contradictions of the neo-liberal policies in Latin America and the failure of the war on drugs. With the analysis of writers such as Gerardo Cornejo, Elmer Mendoza, Dario Jaramillo Agudelo and Jorge Franco, this article points out the importance of the narco-culture in the national discourses of Colombia and Mexico.