Dreamtigers (Texas Pan American Series) (Paperback)

~ Jorge Luis Borges (Author), Antonio Frasconi (Illustrator), Mildred Boyer (Translator), Harold Morland (Translator), Miguel Engui­danos (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Dreamtigers has been heralded as one of the literary masterpieces of the twentieth century by Mortimer J. Adler, editor of Great Books of the Western World. It has been acknowledged by its author as his most personal work. Composed of poems, parables, and stories, sketches and apocryphal quotations, Dreamtigers at first glance appears to be a sampler -- albeit a dazzling one -- of the master's work. Upon closer examination, however, the reader discovers the book to be a subtly and organically unified self-revelation. Dreamtigers explores the mysterious territory that lies between the dreams of the creative artist and the "real" world. The central vision of the work is that of a recluse in the "enveloping serenity " of a library, looking ahead to the time when he will have disappeared but in the timeless world of his books will continue his dialogue with the immortals of the past -- Homer, Don Quixote, Shakespeare. Like Homer, the maker of these dreams is afflicted with failing sight., Still, he dreams of tigers real and imagined and reflects upon of a life that, above all, has been intensely introspective, a life of calm self-possession and absorption in the world of the imagination. At the same time he is keenly aware of that other Borges, the public figure about whom he reads with mixed emotions: "It's the other one, it's Borges, that things happen to." First published in Buenos Aires in 1960 as El Hacedor, Dreamtigers was translated into English by Mildred Boyer, professor emerita of romance languages at the University of Texas at Austin, and the poet Harold Morland. The late Miguel Enguídanos, who was Centennial Professor of Spanish at Vanderbilt University, wrote the introduction to this handsome volume, which is enhanced by woodcuts by the renowned artist Antonio Frasconi.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press (1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292715498
• ISBN-13: 978-0292715493
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #281,343 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books of all time., October 7, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Huntsville, Alabama) - See all my reviews

I am not an avid reader of poetry, but Dreamtigers (which is about half poetry, half prose) ranks in my top five favorite books of all time. Borges never ceases to amaze me. I am always being reminded of his work as I read other books. It's actually kind of hard to put into words, but Dreamtigers is one of the most complete books ever written -- it amplifies and compliments itself and gives you a truly unique insight into the mind and the world.

Truly unique.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent if you're in the proper frame of mind, October 31, 1999

By	vic spicer (winnipeg, canada) - See all my reviews

dreamtigers has languished on my shelf for over a year... for some reason i just couldn't get into it. foolish me.

this little book broken into two parts- a collection of short pieces some poetry. all very brief- the longest passage occupies a little over two pages.

what i'm really struck by is how personal this collection is. i've seen borges as a towering intellect but rather cold. dreamtigers has forced me to re-evaluate this- there's tenderness, loss and affection in these works.

borges is always dazzling, and the second part is a good introduction to his poetry, of which i understand there is a lot. the introductory and appendix notes are most illuminating.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like the great authors, Borges writes a 1000 words in a few., August 22, 1997

By	Wences [e-mail] (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

A collection of poems, short stories and Borgian tales, that touches every neuron in your brain. Reading Dreamtigers was an experience out of this world. Borges writes like nature does with space/time in a black hole, he compresses ideas and thoughts into a few words