The short story is often
regarded, somewhat unfairly,
as a country cousin to the
novel: limited in scope and
unable to match the nuance
and complexity of the longer
form. This is, I think, to ignore
the strengths of the genre. At
its best, the short story illu-
minates a moment or a char-
acter with a precision often
obscured at novel length.
A case in point is Brazil-
ian author Geovani Martins’
debut collection, The Sun On
My Head. Set in the favelas
of Rio de Janeiro where
Martins himself grew up, 13
street-smart stories are nova-
bright slices of lived experi-
ence. Often very short – the
longest is barely a dozen pages- Martins’ tales speak of
The field of Conspiracy
Theory studies is vast and
dotted with rabbit holes.
There are even conspiracy
theories about conspiracy the-
ories and in this fevered world
it is all too easy to confuse the
wood for the trees. Quassim
Cassam’s short book aims to
guide us through this perplex-
ing area.
From Holocaust denial and
the Kennedy assassination to
9/11 and the anti-vaccination
lobby, Cassam teases out what
differentiates Conspiracy
Theories (the capitalization
is important to him) from
theories about conspiracies.
While acknowledging that
conspiracies do exist, he out-
lines the salient features that
make Conspiracy Theories soadolescence and manhood,
concerning themselves with
the expectations and short-
comings of masculinity. Male
role models are thin on the
ground and the only stabil-
ity is provided by a mother or
grandmother.
These are not overtly polit-
ical stories; people are too
busy living the best life they
can in trying circumstances.
Nevertheless, politics is in the
warp and weft of these nar-
ratives. Drug use is a given in
Martins’ world, and violence- from gangs and police in
equal measure – is ever-pre-
sent. This is a society where
a failed state’s response veers
between indifference and per-
secution. Yet comradeship
and mercy are here too, as in
the ecstatic beach trip by a
group of friends in Lil Spin or
the kindness shown to a gang
member in The Crossing. The
Sun On My Head is a debut
of real promise by an author
already in full command of
his craft. PW
prevalent and so pernicious.
They are, he argues, political
at heart and are propagated to
advance an ideological objec-
tive. Percolating through the
echo chambers of internet
chat-rooms, they are resistant
to refutation by counter-argu-
ment and even, as memes,
profoundly indifferent as to
whether their proponents
actually believe them. Cassam
argues forcefully against the
view that Conspiracy Theories
may be beneficial in that they
expose political wrongdoing.
As an example of the harm
caused he cites the case of
antiretroviral drugs in South
Africa, whose implementation
in HIV treatment was delayed
because the then-President
Thabo Mbeki believed the
myth that AIDS was not virus-
related. It is estimated that up
to 300,000 may have died as
a result.
Cassam is no dispassionate
observer; he firmly believes
that because Conspiracy
Theories are actively harmful
they must be opposed in the
political arena. The truth, he
says, is out there and it is our
responsibility as active citi-
zens to seek it out and use it in
the unremitting battle. PWThe Sun On My Head
by Geovani Martins, translated by Julia Sanches
(Faber & Faber, ISBN 9780571348244)
faber.co.uk
++++,Conspiracy Theories
by Quassim Cassam
(Polity Books, ISBN 9781509535835)
politybooks.com
+++,,BOOKS
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