Time Commences in Xibalbá tells the story of a violent village crisis in Guatemala sparked by the return of a prodigal son, Pascual. He had been raised tough by a poor, single mother in the village before going off with the military. When Pascual comes back, he is changed—both scarred and “enlightened” by his experiences. To his eyes, the village has remained frozen in time. After experiencing alternative cultures in the wider world, he finds that he is both comforted and disgusted by the village’s lingering “indigenous” characteristics.

Luis de Lión was a primary teacher who worked in rural schools in various parts of Guatemala and later taught classes at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala City. On May 15, 1984, he was kidnapped by a death squad of the Guatemalan dictatorship as part of the anti-insurgency “dirty war,” because much of what he wrote was critical of the Guatemalan government. He is presumed to have been killed three weeks later. Born and raised in Guatemala, translator Nathan C. Henne now teaches Latin American Studies and Spanish at Loyola University New Orleans.

“Luis de Lión’s novel is an exceptional text. It is one of a few truly valuable additions to a transcultural canon that would include works such as those by José María Arguedas, Rulfo, and Asturias.”—Juan E. De Castro, author of Mestizo Nations: Culture, Race, and Conformity in Latin American Literature

"De Lión’s language glistens like that copper sun: stunningly imagistic, inventive, athletic, and utterly arresting. The poetics of the uncertain informs not only the subject matter but also the kaleidoscopic quality of his writing. This is a story to be chewed, digested, and savored."—Santa Fe New Mexican