The Cambridge Companion to Jorge Luis Borges

Comprehensive account of Borges's life and work, including his early and late poetry, and his hugely influential short stories.

Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) was one of the great writers of the twentieth century and the most influential author in the Spanish language of modern times. He had a seminal influence on Latin American literature and a lasting impact on literary fiction in many other languages. However, Borges has been accessible in English only through a number of anthologies drawn mainly from his work of the 1940s and 1950s. The primary aim of this Companion is to provide a more comprehensive account of Borges's oeuvre and the evolution of his writing. It offers critical assessments by leading scholars of the poetry of his youth and the later poetry and fiction, as well as of the 'canonical' volumes of the middle years. Other chapters focus on key themes and interests, and on his influence in literary theory and translation studies.

Chronology; Introduction Edwin Williamson; 1. Philosophy and fiction Clive Griffin; 2. Mathematics and science in a literary mode Floyd Merrell; 3. Borges and theory Michael Wood; 4. Borges on translation Suzanne Jill Levine; 5. Jewish, Christian and Gnostic themes Evelyn Fishburn; 6. Islamic themes Luce López-Baralt; 7. Borges and popular culture Philip Swanson; 8. Postcolonial Borges Robin Fiddian; 9. Fictions Daniel Balderston; 10. The Aleph Roberto González Echevarría; 11. The Maker Alfred MacAdam; 12. Brodie's report Arturo Echavarría; 13. The Book of Sand and Shakespeare's memory Efraín Kristal; 14. The early poetry (1923–9) Rafael Olea Franco; 15. The late poetry (1960–85) Jason Wilson; 16. Borges in context: the autobiographical dimension Edwin Williamson; Further reading.

This is the most comprehensive account available of the work of one of the great writers of the twentieth century, by internationally renowned specialists. It includes chapters on Jorge Luis Borges's literary evolution, his hugely influential short stories, and on the extraordinary diversity of his literary themes and interests.

Edwin Williamson is the King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish Studies at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. He is the author of The Penguin History of Latin America (updated and revised edition, 2009) and his acclaimed biography, Borges: A Life (2004), has been translated into several languages.