Lucas Palacios, author of "The Invisible Hand and Other Fictions": "Writing is opening up to the world."

The rector of INACAP and former minister, Lucas Palacios, presented a book composed of 49 short stories—ranging from micro-stories, tales, and micro-novels—addressing various themes from a critical perspective of the social environment. He explained that writing is, for him, an act of rebellion and reflection against a society he defines as individualistic. The work was developed independently, although it was reviewed by author Claudia Reyes, editor Max Valdés—from “Vicio Impune”—and writer Roberto Ampuero, who also wrote the preface.

Meanwhile, Palacios is working on a new book of micro-stories. Among the key themes of the book is a critique of consumption and the pursuit of status as ways to fill personal voids. In one of his stories, “The Invisible Hand,” he questions the idea that the market can satisfy all human needs, suggesting instead that these voids are addressed through concern for others, affection, and humor.

Within these themes is the longing to transcend, which leads to consumption and security. He notes that this is reflected in his story “The Invisible Hand,” which critiques the notion that the market fulfills all needs and aims to fill a void that can only truly be filled with concern for others, love, and humor, rather than through social identification, consumption, and the pursuit of status.