Review: Fictions

Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In essence, this is a series of stories about things that are lost. That is what makes them fascinating, almost inspiring. The feeling of worlds just beyond the fingertips flickering across the pages, the wondrous and mysterious stories untold in the universes Borges creates and dismisses with the mark of a pen.

I must be honest, I have not read much Borges. In the past, I have read some scattered poetry but never actually a full collection of his work. In concentration, it is almost too much. Too fantastic. From story to story, he glides through creations and characters who appear as vignettes. None of the characters are full, but then again none of them have to be.

In terms of how it is written, it feels clear that Borges is a South American writer in a very specific tradition. In translation, he reads like Marquez or Zambra (only in broad strokes, but he does nonetheless). The prose, the descriptions, the translation, the magical realism broken by many literary and philosophical references. They are characteristic.

Borges, in one of the (two) forewords, claims that "The South" is perhaps his best work. I find myself disagreeing (at least on first read). I found there were a few that stood out to me as more interesting:

1. A Survey of the Works of Herbert Quain: A brilliant little tale where the twist is banal and incredible at the same time. What Borges says is perfectly intelligible, yet it is so outlandish that I had to read through the 'reveal' twice. Then, I laughed.

2. The Library of Babel: Such a brilliant take on the library of Babel story, Borges takes a simple set-up and draws it out in a way that shows his ability to masterfully build evocative worlds in short stories. (EDIT: I have since realised that this is the original Library of Babel story and not a "take" on it. It is not only well-executed, it is the source of the concept of a library with books containing every combination of letters. I am awed.)

3. The Theme of the Traitor and the Hero: Could be a full novel. Such a strong plot.

The third of these perhaps illustrates my only complaint. In being so short, Borges barely has time in some of these stories to lay out the outline of a plot. It moves at lightning pace, and I can't help but feel some of them are complex and interesting enough to be longer tales.

Then again, his brevity makes it a constantly engaging and constantly surprising book.

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