JUAN GABRIEL VÁSQUEZ

The Power of Stories

Humans are made of stories. The narratives we create shape our understanding of ourselves and those around us. Yet, stories can also be powerful and dangerous—they can manipulate, mislead, and distort reality, sometimes with profound consequences. How do the stories that define our experiences truly work? And how can we harness their power to lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives

Life After Truth

For several years now, the term post-truth has taken center stage in our lives. But what does it really mean? What are we referring to when we talk about post-truth, and how does it differ from the age-old concept of lying? Vásquez delves into this new world where the line between truth and falsehood has been reshaped, reflecting on the role of new technologies in our social reality and uncovering the deep connections between post-truth, populism, and polarization. 

Novels about Real People 

With his latest two novels, Volver la vista atrás and Los nombres de Feliza, Vásquez has achieved enormous critical and commercial success. Both books share the reconstruction of real lives: in Volver la vista atrás, that of film director Sergio Cabrera and his family; in Los nombres de Feliza, that of Colombian sculptor Feliza Bursztyn.

What does it mean to use fiction to tell the lives of real people? What challenges does this literary approach present, and what discoveries does it offer? In this talk, Vásquez unveils the untold story behind these novels, which have left a lasting mark on contemporary Spanish-language literature. 

The New Crisis of an Old Democracy

Democracy is facing one of its most challenging moments. Citizens seem to have lost faith in it, and more frequently, they appear willing to hand power to politicians who openly disdain it—or worse, who use democratic mechanisms to dismantle it from within. When did this crisis begin, even in the world’s most stable democracies? What are its causes, and what consequences might it bring? For 18 years, Vásquez has been writing political commentary for leading publications such as El País (Madrid), El Espectador (Bogotá), The New York Times, and The Guardian (London). As a public intellectual, he offers a clear-eyed, nonpartisan reflection on the fragile state of democracy today—and the possibilities for overcoming this crisis.

The Art of Being Human: Why We Read (and Write) Novels

Humans are storytelling beings. The narratives that make up what we call literature have, for centuries, helped us understand others and ourselves—shaping some of our most significant social and political achievements. Yet today, the mysterious act of reading fiction seems to have lost the central role it once held. What are the consequences of this shift? What have centuries of reading about people who never existed taught us? What happens within us when we engage with fiction, and how do we use it to make sense of the world?