By Jorge Luis Borges.
The Book of Imaginary Beings: begun 05 May 2007; finished 08 May.
The Book of Sand: begun 16 May 2007; finished 18 May.
The Book of Imaginary Beings and The Book of Sand: latest conquests in my crusade to read every single short story by Jorge Luis Borges.
The Book of Imaginary Beings is an almanac of fantastical creatures found in the mythologies of numerous cultures and civilizations, with even a few fictional ones scattered here and there. Civilizations/cultures represented were Chinese, Japanese, Egyptian, Norse, Indian, Persian, and South-east Asian, amongst others. Fantastical creatures from the writings of C.S. Lewis and Franz Kafka also featured. This is a delightful overview of mythological creatures and beings, both ubiquitous and unique, and I gained a greater appreciation for the rich mythologies of human civilizations. Borges cites a number of sacred and religious texts, which I intend to find out more about, and perhaps read as well.
The Book of Sand is, like Labyrinths and The Aleph and other stories which I’ve read, a collection of Borges’ various tales. Numerous metaphysical topics are investigated in these tales: the twin/doppelgänger, infinity in both directions (the infinitely large and infinitely small), logical improbabilities, the motivation behind a person’s actions, and progression and looping of time. Some stories which I enjoyed: Ulrike is a romance taking place in a loop in time; The Congress is a secret society whose vision becomes far-reaching that they eventually encompass all existence; Undr is a quest for a magical word; The Disk is about a futile search for a natural impossibility. My two favourite stories are the title story The Book of Sand, about an infinite book (and the consequences of possessing one); and Utopia of a Tired Man, which confirms to me that the humanist vision of Utopia is an undesirable and even horrific vision. In all, the ideas that Borges presents in these stories are thought-provoking and hugely imaginative.
Goes without saying that I adored The Book of Sand as much as the previous two collections. One day I will own all of Borges’ short stories: they are beautiful little gems, small and exquisitely crafted to shine the most brilliant rays of knowledge and a glimpse of a magnificent vision into one’s mind.