"What is lying, how does it work, where does it come from, and why is it an integral and perhaps necessary part of human life? In A History of Lying, Juan Jacinto Muñoz-Rengel takes us on a dazzling journey through all different kinds of deception and falsehood, from their probable evolutionary origins to fake news in the modern day, carefully observing their effects on social life, family and love, politics, literature and art. An addictive, erudite essay that reads like a work of fiction."Jorge Volpi"He has the potential to become one of the most important writers of his generation."Irene Andres-Suárez, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland"My candidate for the book of the year."Pablo Bujalance, Grupo Joly"I was dazzled and exhilarated by this playful philosophical tour-de-force"Sydney Morning Herald"revelatory: we lie, yes, but often we do it to help each other. Muñoz-Rengel convincingly shows us that falseness 'is the clearest sign of intelligence', and should be appreciated as a tool for enabling people to understand reality."New Statesman"provoking, entertaining and surprising [...] a frothy, glittering meditation on the nature of human being"Antonella Gambotto-Burke, The Australian"[Munoz-Rengel's] fierce allegiance to the idea that the origins of lying reside in any detachment from reality brings to mind the idea of not lying as an active pursuit, which takes the form of a constant sifting through the details of life, and a simultaneous attempt to articulate them as clearly as possible--something akin to producing art."The New Yorker
AcknowledgementsOneMinus SixAn Even Earlier Time: NatureTwoReality as SimulacrumThe First Big LieMagical and Mythical ThinkingGod the DeceiverThe Lies of the ChurchThe Lies of AtheismThe Formation of SocietiesEspionage and CounterespionagePolitical LiesBusiness and EconomicsA Brief History of ForgeryArt as FabricationLiterature as FabricationThe Masters of ScepticismThe Lies of ScienceThe Present, Hyperreality and Post-TruthLoveDeathSo, What Is There?Bibliography
Juan Jacinto Muñoz-Rengel is a Spanish writer. Born in Malaga in 1974, he is the author of El gran imaginador (The Great Imaginator), El asesino hipocondríaco (The Hypochondriac Hitman) and El sueño del otro (The Other's Dream) and he has received more than 50 national and international awards for his short stories.
