Cookieson

theBBC
website
Weusecookiestoensurethatwegiveyouthebestexperienceonourwebsite.Ifyoucontinue
withoutchangingyoursettings,we'llassumethatyouarehappytoreceiveallcookiesonthe
BBCwebsite.However,ifyouwouldliketo,youcan
atanytime.
changeyourcookiesettings
(/privacy/cookies/managing/cookiesettings.html)
Continue
Findoutmore
(/privacy/cookies/bbc)
|2September2014
IsBorgesthe20thCenturysmost
importantwriter?
BETWEENTHELINES(HTTP://WWW.BBC.COM/CULTURE/COLUMNS/BETWEENTHELINES)
BorgesatthefrontdoorofhisapartmentinBuenosAires,1983(GettyImages)
JorgeLuisBorgesmysteriousstoriesbrokenewgroundandtransformedliteratureforever.Everyone
shouldreadhim,writesJaneCiabattari.
ReadingtheworkofJorgeLuisBorgesforthefirsttimeislikediscoveringanewletterinthealphabet,oranew
noteinthemusicalscale.HisfriendandsometimecollaboratorAdolfoBioyCasarescalledhiswritingshalfway
housesbetweenanessayandastory.Theyarefictionsfilledwithprivatejokesandesoterica,historiographyand
sardonicfootnotes.Theyarebrief,oftenwithabruptbeginnings.Borgesuseoflabyrinths,mirrors,chessgames
anddetectivestoriescreatesacomplexintellectuallandscape,yethislanguageisclear,withironicundertones.
Hepresentsthemostfantasticofscenesinsimpleterms,seducingusintotheforkingpathwayofhisseemingly
infiniteimagination.
CyberauthorWilliamGibsondescribesthesensationoffirstreadingBorgesTln,Uqbar,OrbisTertius,which
revolvesaroundanencyclopediaentryonacountrythatappearsnottoexist."Hadtheconceptofsoftwarebeen
availabletome,writesGibsoninhisintroductiontoBorgesshortstorycollectionLabyrinths,IimagineIwould
Books(http://www.bbc.com/culture/tags/books) Literature(http://www.bbc.com/culture/tags/literature)
JaneCiabattari
havefeltasthoughIwereinstallingsomethingthatexponentiallyincreasedwhatonedaywouldbecalled
bandwidth.
Halfacenturyago,whenBorgesgroundbreakingcollectionFiccioneswasfirstpublishedinEnglishtranslation,
hewasvirtuallyunknownoutsideliterarycirclesinBuenosAires,wherehewasbornin1899,andParis,wherehis
workwastranslatedinthe1950s.In1961,hewascatapultedontotheworldstagewheninternationalpublishers
awardedhimthefirstFormentorPrizeforoutstandingliteraryachievement.HesharedtheprizewithSamuel
Beckett(theotherauthorsontheshortlistwereAlejoCarpentier,MaxFrischandHenryMiller).Theawardspurred
EnglishtranslationsofFiccionesandLabyrinthsandbroughtBorgeswidespreadfameandrespect.
Labyrinthineplot
Hewas,fromthebeginning,awriterattunedtotheclassicaltraditionsandepicsofmanycultures.Hegrewup
immersedinreading.Hisfather,fromwhomBorgesinheritedaneyeconditionthatlefthimblindbytheageof55,
wasamarginallysuccessfulliteraryhandafewpoems,asosohistoricalnovel,andthefirsttranslationof
FitzGerald'sRubaiyatintoSpanish,saysDonaldAYates,oneofBorgesfirstAmericantranslators.Borges
EnglishgrandmotherreadhimEnglishliteraryclassics.Beingshortsighted,heescapedintoaworldwherethe
printedwordwasmoresignificantthanhissurroundingreality,saysYates.
Asaboy,BorgeswrotepoetryandvisitedthelibraryregularlytoreadlongarticlesbyauthorsincludingSamuel
TaylorColeridgeandThomasDeQuinceyfromvolumesoftheEncyclopediaBritannica.Hespenthisteenage
yearsinGenevaandSpain.Asanadult,heworkedasalibrarianandlaterasthedirectoroftheBiblioteca
NacionalinBuenosAires.By1930hehadpublishedsixbooks:threeofpoetryandthreecollectionsofessays.
Between1939and1949hewroteandpublishedpracticallyallthefictionforwhichhewouldbecomefamous.
AstatueoftheauthorstandsoutsidetheNationalLibraryofArgentina.Borgesbecameitsdirectorin1955(Corbis)
Everywritercreateshisownprecursors,BorgeswroteinanessayonKafka.Hisworkmodifiesourconception
ofthepast,asitwillmodifythefuture.BorgesowninfluencesrangefromPaulValerytoArthurSchopenhauer,
fromDantetoBeowulfandtheKabballah.HetranslatedWaltWhitman,EdgarAllanPoe,JamesJoyce,William
Faulkner,VirginiaWoolf,AndrGide,FranzKafkaandepicpoemsfromOldEnglishandOldNorse.Headmired
MarkTwain,RobertLouisStevenson,LewisCarroll,JosephConradandthestoriesofHenryJamesandRing
Lardner.
WhatBorgesdidwastheultimatehighlowfusion,sayscriticMarcelaValdes,mixingpulpmaterialdetective
stories,scifiscenarioswitharchitecturalstructuresandphilosophicalpreoccupations.HelovedBuenosAires,
buttheworldhecreatedinhisfictionwasessentiallyaworldmadeoutofalibrary.
BorgespreoccupationsandinnovationsaresplendidlydisplayedinFicciones.Hewasanearlygenreblender,for
instance.TheGardenofForkingPaths,framedasa1916depositionbyDrYuTsun,aChinesespydescended
fromaHunnangovernorwhoabandonedalltomakeabookandalabyrinth,isanenormousguessinggame,or
parable,inwhichthesubjectistime,andadetectivestory.ItsfirstUSpublicationwasinElleryQueenMystery
Magazine.
LabyrinthsrecurinmanyofBorges'works.TheBritisharchitectRandollCoatehasdesignedseveralintheArgentineauthorshonour
(Corbis)
InhisfantasyfictionTheCircularRuins,Borgesinventsawizardwhosecludeshimselfinanancienttempleto
dreamamanintobeinginminuteentiretyandimposehimonreality.AtypicalBorgesianmysteryarises:isthe
narratorthedreamer,orishehimselfbeingdreamed?
Phantombooks
FiccionesalsoreflectsBorgesoriginalandpostmodernapproachtobooksandtexts.Ashenotedin1941,"The
compositionofvastbooksisalaboriousandimpoverishingextravaganceAbettercourseofprocedureisto
pretendthatthesebooksalreadyexist,andthentoofferaresume,acommentary...Morereasonable,moreinept,
moreindolent,Ihavepreferredtowritenotesuponimaginarybooks."
OneofBorgesearliestnarrativefictions,TheApproachtoAlMutasim(1938),isabriefreviewofanonexistent
bookbyaBombaylawyerwhodisbelievesintheIslamicfaithofhisfathers.InthelandmarkstoryPierreMenard,
AuthorofDonQuixote,theimaginaryauthorMenardreimaginespassagesfromDonQuixote,anexhaustive
processthatexploresBorgesspeculationthateachbookiscontinuallyrefreshedbyeachreader.TheLibraryof
Babelpresentsauniverse(calledtheLibrary)composedofanindefinite,perhapsinfinite,numberofhexagonal
galleries,withenormousventilationshaftsinthemiddle,encircledbyverylowrailings."
BorgeshasbeencalledthefatheroftheLatinAmericannovel,withoutwhomtheworkofMarioVargasLlosa,
GuillermoCabreraInfante,GabrielGarcaMrquezandCarlosFuenteswouldnothavebeenpossible.Borges
influenceonLatinAmericanliteratureislikeSherwoodAndersonseffectonAmericanfiction:sodeepitthathas
becomedifficulttonameamajorcontemporarywriterwhohasntbeentouchedbyit,saysValdes.Someofthem
areaffectedindirectlythroughJulioCortzarsshortstoriesorCsarAirasnovelsorRobertoBolaos
everything.ThedetachedtonethatmarkssomuchofBolaosfiction,givingitthateerietwilightzonefeeling,is
straightoutofBorges,thoughBolaobentittohisownends.
Overthedecadessincehisdeathin1986,Borgesglobalstaturehascontinuedtogrow.Todayonecould
considerBorgesthemostimportantwriterofthe20thCentury,saysSuzanneJillLevine,translatorandgeneral
editorofthePenguinClassicsfivevolumeBorgesseries.Why?Becausehecreatedanewliterarycontinent
betweenNorthandSouthAmerica,betweenEuropeandAmerica,betweenoldworldsandmodernity.Increating
themostoriginalwritingofhistime,Borgestaughtusthatnothingisnew,thatcreationisrecreation,thatweareall
onecontradictorymind,connectedamongsteachotherandthroughtimeandspace,thathumanbeingsarenot
onlyfictionmakersbutarefictionsthemselves,thateverythingwethinkorperceiveisfiction,thateverycornerof
knowledgeisafiction.
And,Levineadds,"theworldwideweb,inwhichalltimeandspacecoexistsimultaneously,seemsasifitwere
inventedbyBorges.Take,forexample,hisfamousstoryTheAleph.HerethefirstletteroftheHebrewalphabet
becomesthepointintimeandspacethatcontainsalltimeandeverythingintheuniverse."AsBorgeswritesinthe
story,Isawasmalliridescentsphereofalmostunbearablebrilliance.AtfirstIthoughtitwasrevolvingthenI
realisedthatthismovementwasanillusioncreatedbythedizzyingworlditbounded.TheAlephsdiameterwas
probablylittlemorethananinch,butallspacewasthere,actualandundiminished.
ReadersandwritersalikecontinuetodiscovernewbrillianceinBorgeswork.Afittinglegacyforthemanwho
oncewroteIhavealwaysimaginedthatParadisewillbeakindoflibrary.
IfyouwouldliketocommentonthisstoryoranythingelseyouhaveseenonBBCCulture,headoverto
our pageormessageuson
.
Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/pages/BBCCulture/237388053065908) Twitter
(https://twitter.com/bbc_culture)
CulturalCalendar
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/event/20140425horstphotographerofstyle)
Horst
06
SEP

04
JAN
FolkestoneTriennial
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/event/20140425folkestonetriennial2014lookout)
30
AUG

02
NOV
BecomingRobot
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/event/20140718namjunepaikbecomingrobot)
05
SEP

04
JAN
FeaturedVideo
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140210howhardcoreisnymphomaniac)
HowhardcoreisNymphomaniac?
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140210howhardcoreis
nymphomaniac)
FilmpremiereinBerlinmakesheadlines
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140117gagalifeisartallthetime)
Gaga:Lifeisartallthetime(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140117gagalifeisartallthe
time)
Popstaronsex,musicandperformance
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140213newlookforsilentclassic)
Newlookforsilentclassic(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140213newlookforsilent
classic)
1920Germanfilmrestoredtooriginal
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131212americanhustlesexandscandal)
AmericanHustle:Sexandscandal(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131212american
hustlesexandscandal)
ThenewfilmisanOscarcontender
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131108averybritishdancecrazeat40)
AveryBritishdancecrazeat40(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131108averybritish
dancecrazeat40)
WhypeoplestillloveNorthernSoul
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130719excitinghousinginnovations)
Excitinghousinginnovations(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130719excitinghousing
innovations)
Europesnewarchitecture
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140103couldanyonepaintavermeer)
CouldanyonepaintaVermeer?(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140103couldanyone
paintavermeer)
Newdocumentaryclaimsyoucan
FromaroundtheBBC
BBCCULTURE
Canyouownacolour?
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140711canyou
ownacolour)
BBCCULTURE
Tolkien:WhyIwroteTheHobbit
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140801tolkien
whyiwrotethehobbit)
BBCCULTURE
FenderStratocaster:Adesigniconat60
(http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140904fender
stratocasterguitarhero)
BBCTRAVEL
Wherebeerischeaperthanwater
(http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20140310the
heartofpraguepumpslager)
BBCTRAVEL
Whatairlinepilotswon'ttellyou
(http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20130725what
airlinepilotswonttellyou)