Paperback, 287 pages
English language
Published 1987 by Penguin Books.
'The stories, essays and poems written by Jorge Luis Borges of Argentina suffice for us to call him great', as André Maurois writes in his preface, because of their wonderful intelligence, their wealth of invention and their tight, almost mathematical style.
The twenty-three stories in Labyrinths include Borges's classic 'Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius', a new world where external objects are whatever each person wants; and 'Pierre Menard', the story of the man who rewrote parts of Don Quixote for the twentieth century in Cervantes's words.
The ten essays reflect the extraordinary scope of Borges's reading – the ancient literatures of Greece and China, the medieval philosophers, Pascal, Shakespeare, Valéry, Shaw and Wells – while the seven parables are unforgettable exercises in the art of astonishment.
I think I internalized a lot of the interesting stuff when I read this as a young fellow. What was clever to me then is glib now. Most of the stories don’t stand as strong works of fiction if you’re not in it for the clever ideas. But a few do. I will re-read Doctor Brodie’s Report again soon, I think it will be more satisfying…
