Presenter:
In today’s world of post truth and alternative facts, it is illuminating to read and ponder fiction that takes as its main theme duplicity, lies, and deception. Two recent Italian novels, Roman Ghosts by Luigi Malerba and The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco, are tied up with deceit in both their form and their content. In very different—yet always highly entertaining and engaging ways—these intricate novels give us the opportunity to consider the pernicious effects of falsehood, not only on individual lives but also on the fabric of collective social and political life.