In 1919 Velarde published "Zozobra", considered by the majority of critics to be his major work. It was heavily ironic and drew both from his provincial upbringing and his recent experiences in the city. The influence of Lugones was evident in the book's tendency to avoid common settings, the employment of vocabulary then considered unpoetical, of unusual adjectives and unexpected metaphors, the use of word games, the frequency of proparoxytones, and the humorous use of rhyme. In this sense, the work also resembled that of the Uruguayan poet Julio Herrera y Reissig. "Zozobra" consists of forty poems arranged cyclically, begun by the line "Hoy como nunca" ("Today as never"), saying goodbye to Fuensanta and Jerez, and ending with the poem "Humildemente" ("Humbly"), which marks a symbolic return to his origins. "Zozobra" was strongly criticized by González Martínez.