20th century The first Colombian novel to deal openly with LGBT themes was
Por los caminos de Sodoma: confesiones íntimas de un homosexual, published in Buenos Aires in 1932 by . Arias published the novel under the pseudonym Sir Edgar Dixon. Although it was rejected at the time because of its subject matter, it is nowadays considered a landmark in Latin American LGBT literature.
Gabriel García Márquez's debut
novella La hojarasca (1953) (translated into English with the title
Leaf Storm) was the next narrative work to include an LGBT character, after
Por los caminos de Sodoma. In the novel, the character of the boy displays a homoerotic desire for his friend Abraham, with whom he spends much of his free time. As evidence of this interpretation, scholars such as Daniel Balderston have particularly pointed to the end of chapter four, which Balderston describes as a
franca escena de deseo homoerótico ("a clear display of homoerotic desire") and where the boy remarks, thinking of Abraham's naked body: In later decades, the novel
Te quiero mucho, poquito, nada, by
Félix Ángel, is worthy of mentioning. It was published in 1975 but was quickly withdrawn from bookstores due to its daring and transgressive nature. The novel '''', by
Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal, was published in 1985. It had quite an impact, as it dealt with delicate issues such as drug trafficking and homosexuality, and was later adapted into a
telenovela by
Caracol Televisión. Apart from his literary work, Álvarez Gardeazábal is a well-known defender of gay rights in Colombia.
Fernando Vallejo's autobiographical work
El fuego secreto was published in 1987. In it, he explores the issues of drug use and homosexuality as an adolescent in the cities of Medellín and Bogotá. It is the second book in his five-book autobiographical series '
, which also includes: ' (1985), about his childhood; '
(1988) and ' (1989), in which he tells of his experiences in Europe and New York; and '''' (1993), about the time he lived in Mexico City with his partner until 2018, when he returned to Colombia after the latter's death. Recurrent themes in most of his work include violence, homosexuality, adolescence, drugs, death, and the defense of animal rights. The 1990s also saw the appearance of author , who published the works ''
(1992), his debut novel; the collection of poems Todas mis cosas en tus bolsillos
(1997), published just a few months before his death; and Vista desde una acera'' (2012), published posthumously.
21st century Some authors who stand out in the 21st century include: • Alonso Sánchez Baute:
Al diablo la maldita primavera (2003). • : the novels
La ciudad de todos los adioses (2001),
Mártires del deseo (2007), and
La familia perfecta (2014), and some short stories from the volume
Medellinenses (2009). • : his autobiography
Los putos castos. Memorias inconfesables de un doble deseo. (2011). •
Laura Restrepo:
Delirio (2004) translated into English as
Delirium. •
Jorge Franco:
Melodrama (2006). •
Jaime Manrique: novels, poetry collections, and books of short stories. He has been considered by
Ilan Stavans of
The Washington Post as "The most accomplished gay Latino writer of his generation." • Manuel Valdivieso: his first novel,
Los hombres no van juntos a cine (2014), is about a love affair between two teenagers in Cúcuta, the author's hometown, in which he describes the intolerance caused by a culture influenced by paramilitaries and drug traffickers. == Poetry ==