As the citizens of an unnamed Caribbean nation creep through the corridors of the presidential palace in search of their tyrannical leader, they cannot comprehend that the frail and withered man laying dead on the floor can be the self-styled General of the Universe. Their egocentric, maniacally violent leader, known for serving up traitors to dinner guests and drowning young children at sea, can surely not die the humiliating death of a mere mortal?

The Autumn of the Patriarch is re-issued on Gabriel García Márquez 's birthday to celebrate the publication of his books as ebooks for the first time.