La representación literaria del mercenario: del héroe ambiguo al desenfreno massmediático desde Jenofonte hasta Blackwater y la Operación Jaque

Abstract

An extensive literary tradition from classical times to the most recent Greek newspaper production has been the central figure famous image of mercenaries, sad or glorious, remembered for his feats of arms. Often this was provided with ornamentation apologetic and even national exaltation reflecting the changing circumstances of warfare through the ages. This essay seeks to contextualize some of these literary productions as part of a broader construction of a war imagery, in particular, the mercenary, which currently presents many disturbing aspects in the context of so-­called new wars, colonialism and violence postmodern, and the particular situation in Colombia.