Annus Horribilis: История фразы и примеры из жизни

Latin phrase meaning "horrible year"

Annus horribilis (pl. anni horribiles) is a Latin phrase that means "horrible year". It is complementary to annus mirabilis, which means "wonderful year".

The phrase "annus horribilis" was used in 1891 in an Anglican publication to describe 1870, the year in which the dogma of papal infallibility was defined in the Catholic Church.

2019 was described by some commentators as a second annus horribilis for the British royal family. It was the year the 97 year old Prince Philip crashed his car into another carrying two women and a baby. Later on, Prince Andrew took part in a universally criticised BBC Newsnight interview about his relationship with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Queen was also involved in a constitutional crisis regarding the prime minister Boris Johnson requesting that parliament be prorogued (this advice was later ruled to be unlawful), and there was increased tabloid scrutiny regarding rifts between the Cambridge and Sussex households.

Hollywood actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck once described that the year 2003 was his annus horribilis. Affleck starred in the films Daredevil and Gigli, both of which received negative reviews from critics. Gigli bombed in the box office and drew particular ire from Hollywood critics and moviegoers, which culminated in six 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.

Kofi Annan, the United 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 this annus horribilis is coming to an end." His remarks were widely interpreted as having alluded to persistent allegations of corruption in the UN's Iraq Oil for Food Program. He also spoke of upheaval and violence in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Palestine, and Sudan; the ongoing process of UN internal reform; and "persistent criticism against the UN" and himself personally. In February, Érika Ortiz Rocasolano, the youngest sister of Letizia, then the Princess of Asturias, died of a sedative overdose in her apartment. In July, a humour magazine, El Jueves, published a drawing that ran on the cover, depicting Felipe 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, Catalan separatists were tried for having burned photographs of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía at an anti monarchy and Catalan separatist rally in Girona while the royal couple toured the city. In early November at the XVII Ibero American Summit, after a verbal altercation between Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela, and José 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, the Duchess of Lugo, and her husband, Jaime de Marichalar. The couple has two children, Felipe and Victoria.

The year 2020 was widely remarked as being an annus horribilis for the entire world in general, most notably due to the COVID 19 pandemic, which began in late 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide throughout 2020. 2020 was also awarded a "Special Governors' Award for The Worst Calendar Year EVER!" at the 41st Golden Raspberry Awards. At the end of the year, Netflix released Death to 2020, a mockumentary discussing the events of the year.