By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The inventive and philosophical short stories of the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) take in a range of themes. Like many other authors, Borges had a set of preoccupations which he revisited time and again in his fiction, and a number of his stories are variations on the same theme or themes. His stories combine mystery, fantasy, riddles, metafiction, and much else besides.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Emma Zunz’ is a short story by the Argentine master of the short story, Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986). This story is a revenge tale, in which the titular Emma Zunz avenges the death of her father, who dies after an overdose of a drug administered in hospital. You can read ‘Emma Zunz’ here before proceeding to our summary and analysis of Borges’ story below.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘The Sect of the Phoenix’ is one of the shortest stories by the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, published originally in 1952. In some respects, ‘The Sect of the Phoenix’ is a sort of extended riddle, although unlike traditional riddles, its definitive solution is never revealed. However, there is a proposed solution which fits the story’s details well. What does this puzzling little narrative mean?
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘The Library of Babel’ is a 1941 short story by the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. The story brings together a number of trademark Borgesian ideas, such as the infinite, and the paradoxical nature of the world. But what does ‘The Library of Babel’ mean? And what is the paradox at the heart of this intriguing story?
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Borges and I’ is one of the shortest stories by the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, a master of the very short story. In many ways it condenses some of the most distinctive aspects of his work into a very short ‘narrative’. But what is ‘Borges and I’ about, and how should we interpret this little parable?