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Annus horribilis

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Annus horribilis(pl.anni horribiles) is aLatinphrase that means "horrible year". It is complementary toannus mirabilis,which means "wonderful year".

Origin of phrase[edit]

The phrase"annus horribilis"was used in 1891 in anAnglicanpublication to describe 1870, the year in which thedogma of papal infallibilitywas defined in the Catholic Church.[1]

Elizabeth II[edit]

1992[edit]

The expression was brought to prominence byQueen Elizabeth II.In a speech atGuildhallon 24 November 1992, marking herRuby Jubileeon the throne, she said:[2]

1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be anannus horribilis.

The "sympathetic correspondent" was later revealed to be her former assistant private secretary,Sir Edward Ford.[3]The unpleasant events which happened to the royal family in this year include:[4]

After her speech had been recorded, one more notable event transpired: the separation of Charles and Diana (9 December).

2019[edit]

2019 was described by some commentators as a secondannus horribilisfor theBritish royal family.It was the year the 97-year-oldPrince Philipcrashed his car into another carrying two women and a baby. Later on, Prince Andrew took part in auniversally-criticised BBCNewsnightinterviewabout his relationship with convicted child-sex offenderJeffrey Epstein.[5]The Queen was also involved ina constitutional crisisregarding the prime ministerBoris Johnsonrequesting that parliament beprorogued(thisadvicewas later ruled to be unlawful), and there was increasedtabloidscrutiny regarding rifts between theCambridgeandSussexhouseholds.[5]

Other uses[edit]

Boris Yeltsin[edit]

Timemagazinedescribed 1998 inRussian politicsas anannus horribilisbecause ofBoris Yeltsin's isolationist and militarist policies, theEast Asian financial crisis,and Western countries cutting off the reform money that they gave to the Russian government in prior years.[6]

Ben Affleck[edit]

Hollywood actor and filmmakerBen Affleckonce described that the year 2003 was hisannus horribilis.[7]Affleck starred in the filmsDaredevilandGigli,both of which received negative reviews from critics.Giglibombed in the box office and drew particular ire from Hollywood critics and moviegoers, which culminated insix wins at the 24th Golden Raspberry Awards.In addition, Affleck and his fiancée and later second wife,Jennifer Lopez,were mocked and criticised by the public for their seemingly accommodating attitudes to and henceforth over-exposure in the tabloid media.[citation needed]

Kofi Annan[edit]

Kofi Annan,theUnited Nations Secretary-General,used the phrase in his year-end press conference on 21 December 2004. He reflected: "There's no doubt that this has been a particularly difficult year, and I am relieved that thisannus horribilisis coming to an end. "[8]His remarks were widely interpreted as having alluded to persistent allegations of corruption in the UN's IraqOil-for-Food Program.[9]He also spoke of upheaval and violence inAfghanistan,theDemocratic Republic of the Congo,Iraq,Palestine,andSudan;the ongoing process of UN internal reform; and "persistent...criticism against the UN"and himself personally.[8][9]Annan's remarks came five days before the deadliest event of the year (and one of the deadliest natural disasters in history), theIndian Ocean tsunamion 26 December, when 227,898 people died.

Juan Carlos I[edit]

In 2007, theSpanish royal family,in particularKing Juan Carlos I,faced a difficult year. Family tragedy and a series of controversies led Spanish newspapers to refer to the year as the king'sannus horribilis.[10]

  • In February, Érika Ortiz Rocasolano, the youngest sister ofLetizia,then the Princess of Asturias, died of a sedative overdose in her apartment.[11]
  • In July, a humour magazine,El Jueves,published a drawing that ran on the cover, depictingFelipe VI(then the Prince of Asturias), and the aforementioned Princess Letizia having sex, with a caption reading: "Just imagine if you end up pregnant. This will be the closest thing to work I've ever done in my life." It satirized a proposal by the government to give 2,500 euros to the parents of newborn children. The magazine was banned and removed from distribution, which led to a censorship controversy.
  • In September,Catalanseparatists were tried for having burned photographs of King Juan Carlos andQueen Sofíaat an anti-monarchy and Catalan separatist rally inGironawhile the royal couple toured the city.
  • In early November at the XVIIIbero-American Summit,after a verbal altercation betweenHugo Chávez,President of Venezuela,andJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero,Prime Minister of Spain,the king asked Chávez,"¿Por qué no te callas?"( "Why don't you shut up?" ).
  • Shortly after the summit, the royal house announced the separation of the king's daughter, theDuchess of Lugo,and her husband,Jaime de Marichalar.The couple has two children,FelipeandVictoria.

COVID-19 pandemic[edit]

The year 2020 was widely remarked as being anannus horribilisfor the entire world in general, most notably due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,which began in late 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide throughout 2020.[12][13][14]2020 was also awarded a "Special Governors' Award for The Worst Calendar Year EVER!" at the41st Golden Raspberry Awards.At the end of the year,NetflixreleasedDeath to 2020,a mockumentary discussing the events of the year.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Möhler, Döllinger and Oxford Anglicanism".London Quarterly and Holborn Review.Vol. 75. E.C. Barton. 1891. p. 105.
  2. ^"Annus horribilis speech, 24 November 1992".The Official Website of the British Monarchy. Archived fromthe originalon 2 March 2009.
  3. ^Corby, Tom (28 November 2006)."Obituary: Sir Edward Ford".The Guardian.Retrieved11 September2018.
  4. ^How the royal family bounced back from its 'annus horribilis',The Guardian,24 May 2012.
  5. ^abMurphy, Victoria (21 December 2019)."2019 Was a Car Crash of a Year for the British Royal Family".Town & Country.
  6. ^TIME Annual 1998: The Year in Review.New York:TIMEBooks. 1999. p. 58.ISBN1-883013-61-5.ISSN1097-5721.
  7. ^Harris, Mark."Ben Affleck: No Apologies. No Regrets. No Bulls#*t. October 2012 Issue".Details. Archived fromthe originalon 14 September 2012.
  8. ^ab"New York, 21 December 2004 – Secretary-General's year-end press conference (unofficial transcript)".Off the Cuff.United Nations, Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General. Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2005.The Secretary-General Off the Cuff
  9. ^ab"UN chief welcomes end of 'horrible' year".NineMSN. Associated Press. 22 December 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 13 September 2005.
  10. ^El "annus horribilis" del Rey Juan Carlos.Archived6 December 2012 atarchive.today,La Nación,15 November 2007.
  11. ^Barroso, F. Javier (8 February 2007)."Una muerte por ingestión de pastillas".El País(in Spanish).ISSN1134-6582.Retrieved11 December2021.
  12. ^Doebele, Justin (13 December 2020)."Editor's Sidelines, December 2020: Annus Horribilis".Forbes.Retrieved16 March2021.
  13. ^"Annus horribilis: A look back at the top 12 stories of 2020".France 24.30 December 2020.Retrieved13 September2022.
  14. ^Graham, Renée."In defense of 2020, our annus horribilis - The Boston Globe".BostonGlobe.com.Retrieved13 September2022.
  15. ^Kennedy, Hugh(2013)."The Reign of al-Muqtadir (295–320/908–32): A History".Crisis and Continuity at the Abbasid Court: Formal and Informal Politics in the Caliphate of al-Muqtadir (295-320/908-32).Leiden: Brill. pp. 13–47.ISBN978-90-04-25271-4.

External links[edit]

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