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This book is not available in English, so we refer you to the Spanish version.
Unfortunately, some works are not always faithfully translated. So, if you’re fluent in Spanish, we can only recommend that you buy the original version to fully appreciate the author’s work.
Presentation of the work
Original title (ES) : Satanás
Satanás, published in 2002 by Mario Mendoza, is a dark, hard-hitting Colombian novel inspired by a true story that marked Bogotá in the 1980s. The book interweaves the destinies of several characters: a former priest in a crisis of faith, a woman marginalized by society and a professor consumed by violent impulses. Through these trajectories, the novel explores urban loneliness, the invisible violence of everyday life and the fragile boundary between good and evil. Mendoza paints an oppressive portrait of Bogotá, a chaotic city where social exclusion, misery and despair can lead to irreparable harm. The style is direct, edgy, sometimes brutal, but always effective. Satanás does not seek to explain or excuse violence, but to show how it is born and nurtured in an indifferent society, making the novel as disturbing a read as it is captivating.
Welcoming the press and public
On its release, Satanás attracted considerable media and critical interest. The specialist press praised the novel’s narrative power, its choral construction and its ability to tackle urban violence without complacency. The book won the Premio Biblioteca Breve, a major literary prize that confirmed Mario Mendoza’s place on the international scene. However, some critics have pointed to a deliberately dark and pessimistic tone, which may unsettle some readers. The novel was a huge hit with the public, especially young readers, who were won over by its fast-paced pace and its anchoring in Colombian reality. Satanás quickly became a cult book, often studied in schools and universities, and considered a key work for understanding the social and psychological tensions of urban Colombia.
The author
Mario Mendoza, born in Bogotá in 1964, is one of Colombia’s most popular contemporary writers. With a degree in literature, he has made a name for himself with novels that explore the darker side of society: violence, madness, marginality and moral drift. His accessible, fast-paced writing enables him to reach a very wide audience, while tackling deep, disturbing subjects. Satanás is his best-known work, but he has also published a number of successful novels, including Scorpio City and Cobro de sangre. Mendoza is appreciated for his ability to capture the atmosphere of Colombia’s big cities, and to transform real events into powerful literary narratives. Today, he is regarded as a key figure in contemporary Colombian literature, at the crossroads of noir and social novels.
