These stories from Colombia contain pain and love, and sometimes even humor, allowing us to see a vibrant country amidst the death and loss. We encounter townspeople overcome by fear, a man begging unsuccessfully for his life, an execution delayed for Christmas, the sounds and smells of burning coffee plantations, and other glimpses of daily life. This anthology reveals the contradictions and complexities of the human condition.

Foreword by Hugo Chaparro Valderrama.

Contents:                 

Once upon a time : a short story on violence — Hugo Chaparro Valderrama ; Acknowledgements ; Lather and nothing else — Hernando Téllez ; The execution — Juan Carlos Botero ; The soldiers — Álvaro Cepeda Samudio ; My father was blue — Nicolás Suescún ; The day we buried our weapons — Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza ; Prelude — Hernando Téllez ; A christmas story — Mario Mendoza Zambrano ; The new order — Arturo Echeverri Mejia ; Family birthday wishes — Germán Espinosa ; Fear — Manuel Mejia Vallejo ; The designator — Roberto Montes Mathieu ; Gelatin — Harold Kremer ; The procession of shadows — Germán Santamaria ; The aroma of death — Heriberto Fiorillo ; Bitter sorrows — Dario Ruiz Gómez ; Eme — Julio Paredes ; The feast — Policarpo Varón ; Vendors of peculiar objects — Celso Román ; Brides by night — Evelio Rosero Diago ; The sixth commandment — Juan Fernando Merino ; Contributors.