Collected Fictions [Paperback]

 

 

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Perhaps the greatest Spanish language writer of the century, says the fly-leaf. And it is not an exaggeration. But why did anyone let Andrew Hurley loose on this collection? A complete fictions in English was long overdue, but Hurley's translation lets Borges down. His prose style is leaden, and his translations often eccentric or just plain wrong. Borges was influenced by writers such as Burton, Chesterton and Henry James, and transposed their style into Spanish. Hurley, however, has translated Borges into twentieth century American English, which is clearly contrary to both the style and intent of the orignial. This book is well worth buying for the sake of having all the stories in one place and in English, but Norman Thomas di Giovanni's translations of Dr Brodie's Report and the Book of Sands are far superior. If only di G had tackled the Aleph or Ficciones, there would be little need for this amateur-ish effort at all...

As Andrew Hurley's translations of Borges are becoming ubiquitious some criticism of their style is called for. I see I have been (ably) beaten to it, so this can serve as a footnote to the earlier reader review. I can't compare the translations with the original Spanish, so can only observe that for the English reader of English they are spoiled by jarring Americanisms. Perhaps one might argue that American English is appropriate for translating a New World writer, but it is the product of a society very different to Borges's own, and its democratic, colloquial tone often works against his urbanity, fastidiousness, ironic pedantry and self-mocking snobbishness. Like the previous reviewer I have only docked one crown, because Borges is indispensable, whatever the shortcomings of his translators.

Jorge Luis Borges was one of those rare writers who can take even a bizarre, utterly unbelievable idea, and spin it into an exquisite little gem of prose.

And this classic writer was at the peak of his powers when he collected together "Ficciones," whose plain name belies the subtle power and exquisite beauty of Jorges' short stories. Even among Borges' many short stories, few of them can rival this little labyrinth of strange ancient cities, fictional histories, and the eerie depths of the human mind.

"I owe the discovery of Uqbar to the conjunction of a mirror and an encyclopedia." An odd old saying from the Middle-East leads the narrator to seek out the long-lost heretical histories of a fictional world known as Tlon. Its beliefs, language, and metaphysical eccentricities increasingly fascinate the narrator, until it's almost a surprise to realize that Borges invented all of this.

The stories that follow are no less engrossing -- the recounting of a strange, haunting novel, a man who attempts to LIVE as Don Quixote, a man who tries to dream a new being into existence, a lottery that determines the way the people of Babylon are to live, an examination of a brilliant and underrated author, an exploration of the eternal Library of the universe, and a labyrinthine spy story.

The second round of short stories is a bit less enthralling, merely because it focuses more on "typical" Borges short stories. But they are still pretty enthralling pieces of work -- the remembrance of the brilliantly eccentric Ireneo Funes, the story of a scar, a series of murders linked to "the secret Name," a condemned man's begs God for a year to perfect his art, a forgotten heretic, a conversation leading to revenge, the Cult of the Phoenix, and a man entranced by the "Arabian Nights."

Mirrors and labyrinths fill Borges' work -- real and imagined, in word, metaphor and reality. You see them in an endless library, a guitar melody, a contradiction in religious faith, a complex plot, and in the mind of a man who loses himself to an obsession. The mirrors show you the sides of people that they would never see themselves, and the labyrinth twists the mind into new places where it would never normally go.

"Ficciones" explores places where normal fiction would never go -- such as a Babylonian lottery for different places in society, corrupted by greed -- even as it imbues its eulogies, metaphysical ponderings and explanations with the tinge of reality. The cults, deaths, and art that Borges describes seem so plausible, and are given such depth and detail, that it comes as a mild shock when you realize, "Hey, he made all of this up."

Part of that is due to his unique style, full of elegant wordcraft and gently luminous imagery ("a round yellow moon defined two leaf-clogged fountains in the dreary garden"). Even a stabbing is made brutally beautiful, and often dialogue is unnecessary -- the most beautiful and striking stories in here are the ones where Borges (aka the narrator) eagerly explores some invented facet of the world.

And woven through these stories are many of the things that fascinated Borges through his career -- a tragic hero, ancient heresies, an elusive God, and people whose lives he could somehow explore through his own imagination.

If you could criticize anything at all, it's that few of the characters -- aside from the Borges "narrator" -- are much more than walking symbols of a murky little message. But hey, you could simply see this entire book as an exploration of Borges' own imagination by himself. He happily recounts countries that are nonexistant, books that were never written, geniuses who never were.

"Ficciones" is about the dullest name you can possibly give to a work of genius -- an intricate little web that is all mirrors and mazes. Absolutely stunning.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Borges' Fictions translated by Andrew Hurley
This is a wonderful collection of beautiful, though at times challenging stories. The most accessible stories, such as The Circular Ruins or The Garden of Forking Paths, are not... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Burncastle

4.0 out of 5 stars Metaphysical Fiction
I first read 'Fictions' at University, within a module which involved studying works by Bataille, Sartre and Eco. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Cornish

5.0 out of 5 stars Fiction Concentrate
Borges is the one that every short story writer aims to be like - Ballard, Dick, Di Phillipo - and for good reason. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Mr. R. J. Wright

3.0 out of 5 stars Borges in English: God vs Mammon
For the younger generation who are discovering Borges for the first time I wanted to explain a tragic state of affairs that is so typical of our time. Read more

Published on 16 Jan 2010 by spiritus

5.0 out of 5 stars Redefines the boundaries of fiction
If I have to summarise very briefly what I love about this book, it's that it completely redefines what short stories can be. Read more

Published on 1 Nov 2009 by Andrew Blackman

5.0 out of 5 stars Fictions
Borges is a true original. This collection brings together some of his most famous work. Combining tales of the Argentine pampas with metaphysical conceits, historical theories... Read more

Published on 1 Jun 2009 by Blue Yates

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius
Borges is one of the few authors with the ability to let you know for sure that you are an idiot. You can read most of his stories in the time it takes to make a cup of tea, yet... Read more

Published on 1 Feb 2009 by D. Maskelyne

5.0 out of 5 stars i cant believe it has taken me 46 years to discover borges.
i recently read a book called 'the tango singer' about an american who moves to buenos aires to do research about borges for his phd. i really enjoyed that book.. Read more

Published on 24 Jan 2008 by lushchica

5.0 out of 5 stars This is wonderful
I really read this book and appreciated it first when I was 14 and I loved it. I sat reading it on the grass in front of the oxfor natural history museum and I have been re... Read more

Published on 8 Jan 2003 by Mr. S. N. Barton

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent omnibus of all the old favourites
The Penguin Collected Fictions is well produced with simulated 'cut-pages' and dust jacket and is ideal for dipping into at any spare minute. Read more

Published on 15 Oct 1999 by mcmullmda@netlineuk.net

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