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A passionate tribute to literature and writing as beacons of clarity and truth

Can a society compel its inhabitants to admit the evidence of facts? Can literature help us see the world as it really is? Why do censors fear books and the possibility of a dialogue between reader and writer? How does a writer resist and bear witness?

In this searching essay, Alberto Manguel reflects on his life's work and on the relationship of writing to what is true. Drawing on a rich array of sources, from ancient philosophy and Dante's Divine Comedy to contemporary political thought and diverse views on AI, Manguel explores the illuminative power of the written word. "Perhaps, in this sense, literature is nothing more than affirmation, an ongoing act of resistance," he writes. "Perhaps that is enough."