"Alef" Borges - a collection of short stories by a popular Argentinean writer, written by him in 1949. It consists of 17 short stories and an afterword. In this article, we will talk about the main topics of these works, provide a brief summary of some of them, and readers' feedback.
About the collection
In the Aleph collection, Borges has more mysticism than the main plot, and there is not much contemplative essay and detachment. All the novelties that it contains are interconnected, but at the same time remain original.
Here is the complete list of short stories included in the Aleph collection:
- "Immortal";
- "Theologians";
- "Dead";
- "Biography of Tadeo Isidore Cruz";
- "The story of a warrior and captive";
- Emma Zuntz;
- "House Asteria";
- Deutsches Requiem;
- "Second death";
- "Zaire";
- "Searches of Averroes";
- "Abenhakan el Bohari, who died in his labyrinth";
- "Writings of God";
- "Expectation";
- "Two kings and their two labyrinths";
- "Aleph";
- "The man on the doorstep."
The collection was first published in 1949. In the final version, four more short stories were added to it. In this case, the story of Borges “Alef”, which gave the name to the entire collection, still remained in last position.
It is worth noting that all this time the writer remained unemployed, he was fired from the library after the establishment of the dictatorship of Peron. World fame came to him about a year after the publication of the book "Aleph". The author himself admitted that the creation of the works included in the collection was greatly influenced by Wells, Chesterton, individual ideas of his girlfriend Cecilia Ingeneros.
Main ideas
An analysis of Aleph by Borges makes it possible to single out two main leitmotifs that pass through the red thread through almost all short stories.
Firstly, this is the topic of doubles. Immediately in several short stories, two characters turn out to be the same person or change places with each other. In some cases, the fate of the characters is mirrored or the protagonists go the same way of life. Events can be repeated one after another, creating a classic deja vu effect. In one of the stories one can even find a phrase that for God the eagle and tails are completely indistinguishable.
Doubles are found in almost every short story. In some cases, objects and people begin to merge into a single whole.
All this serves as a definite transition to the next main leitmotif of all his work. This is directly Aleph. A certain object, word or point in space (depending on a specific story). He is able to accommodate the entire Universe, as well as everything that can only be found in it. In the final short story, Borges defines Aleph as a certain point at which all other points converge.
The development of this idea can be found in the novel "Zaire". There is a motive of rethinking in it, when one object occupies all the thoughts of a person, crowding out the entire surrounding world. In fact, this is the same Aleph, but on the other, opposite side. Readers of the book "Aleph" noted that for many it seemed the deliberate closure of the ring of infinity, capable of absorbing all objects.
In addition, in the collection of short stories, other classical motifs of Borges’s work, which are found in his other books, are being developed. These are three versions of the betrayal of Judah, the concept of the world as a text, mirrors.
Summary
As an example, we will tell the plot of one of the most striking stories of this collection, which is called "Immortal". Some critics believe that this work was the culmination of all the writer's work. The short story consists of a quotation, introduction and five chapters.
The story begins with a quote from Bacon that there is nothing new to meet on earth.
The story itself is a narrative of a Roman soldier who lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. Late at night in Thebes, a stranger commits a crime, and afterwards seeks refuge in a camp. He meets the soldier Rufus, confesses to him just before his death, that there is a river, the waters of which grant immortality. The river is located next to the place called the city of the Immortals. Since then, Rufus has been determined to find this place.
He goes to Africa with helpers. On the way, they languish from the heat and harsh conditions that accompany this expedition. Part of the soldiers escapes, the rest plan to kill Rufus. He has to hide and make his way alone through the desert.
He manages to find the city of the Immortals, which he sees at some distance. When he gets to him, he finds out that the city itself is an intricate labyrinth with dead ends. Everywhere there are many chaotic architectural structures and stairs. Rufus is frightened by this city, from which it is not so easy to get out.
He drinks from the river, forever remaining to live with the immortals. All this time he was deep in thoughts about how to understand the existence of this river.
"Aleph"
A summary of Aleph by Borges lets you know what the key piece of this collection is about. The main character in it turns out to be a fictionalized version of the author. At the beginning of the story, he mourns the death of a woman with whom he was in love. He goes to her house to show respect.
Later in the story, he tries to acquire Daneri's home to expand his business. But the seller furiously tells the narrator that he is obliged to maintain it in order to complete the poem. The protagonist, although he considers Daneri crazy, agrees to make concessions. He goes down to the basement, where, as the owner promises, he will be able to meet Aleph.
Biography
Borges was born in the Argentine capital in 1899. He received his primary education in Switzerland, after which he lived in Spain for some time. In this country, he became a representative of ultraism. This is a poetic movement that developed after the First World War amid the decline of modernism.
The main features of this direction were the use of arrogant metaphors and bold images in an effort to create pure poetry that would be separated from the present and past.
Borges brought the same course to Argentina. Moreover, in his own work, he quickly enough moved away from the principles of ultraism. Throughout his life, he was the founder of three avant-garde magazines, taught English at the University of Buenos Aires, and managed the National Library in Argentina.
Popularity
At first, he wrote mainly poetry, to which he was inspired by episodes of Argentinean history and the surrounding daily life.
Most of all he was glorified by stories in which metaphysical fantasies and allegories are encountered along with classic detective stories. All of them turn out to be very original, although the influence of Kafka, Wulf, Chesterton is felt.
In the 70s, Borges, already in the rank of a world famous writer, came to the USA, where he gives lectures at universities and receives all kinds of awards. His works have been repeatedly filmed.
In 1986, he moved to Switzerland, where he dies at 86 from emphysema and liver cancer.
Features of creativity
Jorge Luis Borges is one of the most famous Argentinean writers. He is considered the founder of the new Latin American literature. His work is thoroughly metaphysical; it combines poetic and fantasy approaches.
At the same time, he considers the search for truth to be futile, which he once again declares in the Aleph collection. Borges makes the main themes of his literature the contradictory nature of time, peace, as well as loneliness and death. His artistic language is characterized by a mixture of mass and high culture, a combination of contemporary Argentine culture with metaphysical universals.
Hoaxes
The prose fantasies of Jorge Luis Borges often take the form of detective or adventure stories. Under them, he disguises deep reasoning about serious scientific and philosophical problems. Already in his first works compares favorably with knowledge of foreign languages and erudition. The writer’s creativity is inherent in the game on the verge of fiction and reality, often he resorts to the reception of mystification.
For example, it uses quotes and references from nonexistent works, talks about fictional cultures, biographies of supposedly historical figures that never existed.
Along with Marcel Proust, he is considered one of the first writers of the 20th century who addressed the topic of human memory.
Reviews
In reviews of the “Aleph” of Borges, readers admit that this is a difficult and often not fully understood author. In his works there is always a large number of subtexts and hidden meanings. Different readers can interpret many of his stories in their own way, and at the same time they will all be right.
Especially noteworthy are the novels “Immortal” and “Dead”, which are engraved in memory thanks to a terrible atmosphere reminiscent of hell, troglodytes who refer the reader to the classical works of Dante and Homer. In general, due to the enchanting atmosphere of the ancient epic.
The city of the Immortals, which Borges describes, is populated by troglodytes chasing the protagonist. These are eternally living people who have forgotten their human appearance, writing and speech. In the same image appears the ancient Greek poet Homer.
Moreover, in these stories from the collection “Alef” by Borges, fascinating discussions about immortality, the unity of the fate of all people, the depreciation of human actions on the scale of infinity and the universe surrounding us are found.