Jorge Luis Borges: A Writer on the Edge (Critical Studies in Latin American Culture) [Hardcover]

Beatriz Sarlo (Author), John King (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0860914402 | ISBN-13: 978-0860914402 | Publication Date: August 1993

Jorge Luis Borges is generally acknowledged to be one of the 20th century's most significant writers. Yet in all the critical debates on his work, the fact that he is an Argentine writer is rarely discussed, as if his world reputation had somehow cleansed him of nationality. Sarlo argues that these "universalist" readings leave aside vital aspects of Borges' writing, including his most powerful vision of Argentina's past and its traditions, which placed both the writer and his country at the strange intersection of European and Latin American culture. This examination of the work of Borges is divided into two parts. The first part consists of lectures on Borges' fiction; the second discusses the emergence of the avant-garde and the literary magazines, in order to place his literature in a cultural and ideological context.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The present work is an outgrowth of lectures presented at Cambridge (1992) by the author (Argentine literature, Univ. of Buenos Aires). Drawing both from textual analysis and Borges's Buenos Aires literary circles, Sarlo challenges--and deftly refutes--the conventionally held proposition that "Borges's reputation in the world has cleansed him of nationality." She then successfully demonstrates that Borges lived and wrote in a richly diverse, cosmopolitan milieu with dual Argentine-European roots. Even in his most fantastic, problematic fiction (best exemplified in the three stories "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius," "The Library of Babel," and "The Lottery in Babylon"), Borges is shown to address real social and philosophical questions of the day. Recommended for collections emphasizing Latin American studies.
- Charles E. Perry, East Central Univ., Ada, Okla.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Beatriz Sarlo has a breadth of understanding and a capacity to communicate from one culture to another. (Carlos Fuentes ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Verso Books (August 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0860914402
• ISBN-13: 978-0860914402
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,849,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars El canon argentino del siglo XX, January 13, 2000

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guillermo (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jorge Luis Borges: A Writer on the Edge (Critical Studies in Latin American Culture) (Hardcover)

Mi nombre es Guillermo y vivo en Buenos Aires, Argentina. Espero que este libro sea comprado por mucha gente porque para nosotros sería más que interesante que en el mundo sean leídos dos de nuestras figuras intelectuales más influyentes de nuestro siglo.