Literature, the Best of All Possible Worlds for Borges
The book Borges by Bioy Casares, refreshes the mage of one of the greatest writers in history.
Jorge Luis Borges is, without a doubt, one of the most important names in Argentine, Latin American or even Hispanic literature, if not in all of literature itself, and who does not need adjectives or additions to attract and captivate us, a perfect example of what Italian writer and editor Roberto Calasso called “absolute literature.”
Such a privileged position in the collective imagination of readers, this body of work that is not always explicit but rather of tacit references that guide us with chance and fortune through the labyrinth of books contributed in some way to Borges becoming an object of veneration more than one of effective reading.
Luckily, the diligent labor of Daniel Martino has revitalized the figure of the writer with the publication in 2006 of the detailed minutes that Adolfo Bioy Casares jotted down on the occasions when he met with his friend. The book on Borges by Bioy is, despite its monumental appearance, an unexpected flurry on the artifice of these inimitable narrative constructions such as “The Aleph” and “The Garden of Forking Paths,” among numerous others.
Bioy has bequeathed a detailed portrait of Borges’ everyday life to readers’ common patrimony, an account that does not exclude those incidents that are also present in men of letters: his romantic flings, his musical, movie and culinary tastes, a mundane toothache and his conflicts regarding whether to go to a dentist.
The motto «Eat at Borges’ house», as a kind of conjuring up or mantra, is repeatedly used to present conversations that this fraternal duo allowed themselves in the sovereignty of their intimacy, many of those inevitably leading to – and with mutual pleasure – esthetic and literary questions.
Paradoxically and curiously, this glimmer of confession in the author’s most remote sanctuary, far from projecting a less legendary image, contributes to making him greater from a subtly renewed point of view: the acknowledgement that Borges’ only destiny, the best of all possible worlds, could be literature.
Related Articles
Pictorial spiritism (a woman's drawings guided by a spirit)
There are numerous examples in the history of self-taught artists which suggest an interrogation of that which we take for granted within the universe of art. Such was the case with figures like
Astounding fairytale illustrations from Japan
Fairy tales tribal stories— are more than childish tales. Such fictions, the characters of which inhabit our earliest memories, aren’t just literary works with an aesthetic and pleasant purpose. They
A cinematic poem and an ode to water: its rhythms, shapes and textures
Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water. - John Keats Without water the equation of life, at least life as we know it, would be impossible. A growing hypothesis holds that water, including the
Watch beauty unfold through science in this "ode to a flower" (video)
The study of the microscopic is one of the richest, most aesthetic methods of understanding the world. Lucky is the scientist who, upon seeing something beautiful, is able to see all of the tiny
To invent those we love or to see them as they are? Love in two of the movies' favorite scenes
So much has been said already, of “love” that it’s difficult to add anything, much less something new. It’s possible, though, perhaps because even if you try to pass through the sieve of all our
This app allows you to find and preserve ancient typographies
Most people, even those who are far removed from the world of design, are familiar with some type of typography and its ability to transform any text, help out dyslexics or stretch an eight page paper
The secrets of the mind-body connection
For decades medical research has recognized the existence of the placebo effect — in which the assumption that a medication will help produces actual physical improvements. In addition to this, a
The sea as infinite laboratory
Much of our thinking on the shape of the world and the universe derives from the way scientists and artists have approached these topics over time. Our fascination with the mysteries of the
Sharing and collaborating - natural movements of the creative being
We might sometimes think that artistic or creative activity is, in essence, individualistic. The Genesis of Judeo-Christian tradition portrays a God whose decision to create the world is as vehement
John Malkovich becomes David Lynch (and other characters)
John Malkovich and David Lynch are, respectively, the actor and film director who’ve implicitly or explicitly addressed the issues of identity and its porous barriers through numerous projects. Now