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The Secret of Borges

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The complex, labyrinthine writings of Jorge Luis Borges are approached in this book from a Freudian perspective by an Argentine psychoanalyst and writer. Like a detective, Woscoboinik searches for clues, reiterations, bridges between different Borgean works. He avoids free-wheeling imaginative inferences and personal interpretations. In the course of his research he has gathered information on Borges's life from various and sundry sources, including numerous in-depth interviews.

Through close readings of several short stories, Woscoboinik follows Borges's path as he evolved from his "narcissistic solipsism" to the establishment of Oedipal links. He borrows the title of this book from Borges himself, who in "The Sect of the Phoenix" refers to sexual intercourse as "Secreto," understanding it only as an act of procreation. Hence Woscoboinik follows the track of fantasy associations, among them those relating to the "primary scene." Further chapters deal with the treatment of feminine characters in Borges's short stories, with the dreams and nightmares constantly retrieved and reiterated through his work, memory and the challenges of self-identification, and with the Borgean view of the problem of time.

Readers of this book need not have specialized knowledge either of literature or of psychoanalysis. Borges fans will find a respectful, non-reductionist interpretation of his work that will increase their admiration for him.

Es un libro muy bien escrito y muy respetuoso. Diria que es una investigación muy original de la obra de Borges y que estimula la lectura de Borges No se si se publicara esto porque no esta en ingles.Pero quiero expresar mi admiración por este libro.