No One Writes to the Colonel by Gabriel García Márquez. Short summary

5 seconds

There is a struggle between political factions, terror and violence in Colombia. An elderly colonel, a war veteran, is trying to get his pension, but his decision letters do not come to him.

1 minute

In 1956, fighting between political factions in Colombia, terror and violence are rampant. On the outskirts of the province, a 75-year-old colonel and his wife live in a poor house.

They bury a recently deceased musician, who was the same age as their son. The colonel puts on his best suit. It was an exceptional occasion, as it was the first time in a long time that a man had died his own death.

The colonel returns home. He takes care of a rooster he inherited from his son, a cockfighting enthusiast. Nine months ago Augustine was killed for distributing leaflets. The old men have nothing to eat and don’t know what to feed the bird. If they can hold out until January, the cockfights will begin and there will be hope of winning.

Twelve years ago Congress passed the Veterans’ Pension Act. The colonel was a participant in the Civil War and tried to prove that he, too, fell under that law. There had been a process going on for years. After the old man was put on the pensioners’ list, no more news came.