Crossing Boundaries: From Collective to Prosthetic Memory of Pablo Escobar

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of Narco-Literature and its representative work, La Parabola de Pablo (Alonso Salazar, 2001), on the construction of a prosthetic memory of Pablo Escobar in Colombia. For this analysis I draw first on the theory of collective memory to demonstrate that Salazar’s book is a collective memory product. Second, I draw on the prosthetic memory theory to illustrate the impact of La Parabola de Pablo on the construction of memory in post-Escobar generations. Based on this analysis I conclude that the proliferation of Narco-Literature is impeding the approach to the construction of memories of drug traffic victims by new generations who find in drug lords’ stories a source of entertainment and documentation of a recent past.