Anna Maria Mesturini, Ψεῦδος, i “colori” della finzione, Erredi, Genova 2018, pp. 312.

This text presents a comprehensive book review of Anna Maria Mesturini’s Ψεύδος, i "colori" della finzione (Erredi, Genoa 2018), which deeply explores the concept of ψεῦδος (falsehood, fiction, and lies) in ancient Greek culture, focusing on voluntary, human-made deception. Divided into five chapters, Mesturini analyzes the ethical, political, and artistic dimensions of the true/false and real/fictional dichotomies, highlighting Plato’s "noble lie", Xenophon's view on simulation, and the boundaries between historiography and fiction according to Aristotle and Lucian of Samosata. A significant portion of the analysis centers on calumny as a human narrative construct through Lucian's 'De calumnia', examining the famous anecdote of Apelles’ allegorical painting and contrasting it with Pliny the Elder's account to show how art and wordplay manipulate reality. Ultimately, the reviewer praises Mesturini's well-documented study for its sharpness and its engaging journey into the classical art of deception.