Abstract
The following article addresses Salvadoran Rafael Menjívar Ochoa’s crime fiction saga, which includes Los años marchitos (1990), Los héroes tienen sueño (1998), De vez en cuando la muerte (2002), and Cualquier forma de morir (2006). This article argues that each of Menjívar’s novels articulates a metaliterary reflection on crime fiction. Specifically, Menjívar explores two of the most fundamental aspects of this genre: the crime (generally, a murder) and the protagonist (traditionally understood as the investigator/hero). The author tackles the discursive creation of the idea of crime, particularly in the contexts of political and narco violence. Further, Menjívar provides a critical analysis of the role of the protagonist as an investigator/hero in postwar El Salvador. Through these novels, he continually invites us to consider the recent transformations experienced by crime fiction in contemporary Central America, from traditional detective novel to contemporary novela negra.
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