Memory, Erudition, and Conspiratorial Discourse in The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between memory, erudition, and conspiratorial discourse in The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez. It addresses the problem of how contemporary literature reconfigures the past in contexts marked by historical violence. The main objective is to examine how the novel challenges official versions of history and articulates tensions between memory, truth, and fiction. The conceptual framework draws on memory theories developed by Maurice Halbwachs, Jan Assmann, Aleida Assmann, and Astrid Erll, as well as the notion of “hauntology” proposed by Jacques Derrida and the critical perspective on intellectuals by Edward Said. The findings show that Bogotá is configured as a space shaped by historical trauma, while the character Carlos Carballo embodies a critical erudition that questions dominant narratives. The article concludes that the novel problematizes memory and highlights the role of literature in understanding the past.