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Jorge Luis Borges

Donald A. Yates

Labyrinths (New Directions Paperbook) Paperback – May 17, 2007

by Jorge Luis Borges (Author), Donald A. Yates (Editor), James E. Irby (Editor),

398 ratings

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The classic by Latin America's finest writer of the twentieth century―a true literary sensation―with an introduction by cyber-author William Gibson.

The groundbreaking trans-genre work of Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) has been insinuating itself into the structure, stance, and very breath of world literature for well over half a century. Multi-layered, self-referential, elusive, and allusive writing is now frequently labeled Borgesian. Umberto Eco's international bestseller, The Name of the Rose, is, on one level, an elaborate improvisation on Borges' fiction "The Library," which American readers first encountered in the original 1962 New Directions publication of Labyrinths.

This new edition of Labyrinths, the classic representative selection of Borges' writing edited by Donald A. Yates and James E. Irby (in translations by themselves and others), includes the text of the original edition (as augmented in 1964) as well as Irby's biographical and critical essay, a poignant tribute by André Maurois, and a chronology of the author's life. Borges enthusiast William Gibson has contributed a new introduction bringing Borges' influence and importance into the twenty-first century.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

New Directions
Publication date

May 17, 2007
Dimensions

5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0811216993
ISBN-13

978-0811216999
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The essays are always lucid and probing, and always slightly skewed, vaguely unsettling, again dislocating your sense of reality and truth. Ultimately it is this that always makes me return to Borges, this ability to make the world seem different …"
― BBC

"Borges is arguably the great bridge between modernism and post-modernism in world literature."
― David Foster Wallace, The New York Times

"Borges anticipated postmodernism (deconstruction and so on) and picked up credit as founding father of Latin American magical realism."
― Colin Waters, The Washington Times

About the Author

Jorge Luis Borges (1890-1982), Argentine poet, critic, and short-story writer, revolutionized modern literature. He was completely blind when appointed the head of Argentina’s National Library.

William Gibson is a professor of ecclesiastical history at Oxford Brookes University. He is also academic director of the Westminster Institute of Education.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Directions; Reprint edition (May 17, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0811216993
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0811216999
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #35,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8 in Caribbean & Latin American Literature
- #70 in American Fiction Anthologies
- #92 in Hispanic American Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
398 ratings

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5 star		75%
4 star		16%
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A lot of going "Wait...what?......Oh! I see!....what again?"

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2017

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I can't say I really "enjoyed" reading this. This collection is absolutely not for everyone, unless you happen to like headaches, obtuse storytelling, and some really wordy slogs. But it sure as heck is thought-provoking. Each "story" is really a thought experiment, and Borges then plays around with the ideas. Some of my favorites were:

* "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" -- What if a guy decides to write his own version of Don Quixote, by literally rewriting Quixote word-for-word the exact same? It's surprisingly funny in a nerdy, academic way and very well-executed...why this isn't the first story is beyond me.

* "Theme of the Traitor and the Hero" -- An Irishman writes a biography of his legendary great-grandfather Fergus Kilpatrick, and starts to poke at the hero myth.

* "The House of Asterion" -- I was so ready to forget this one, since it was aggravatingly boring and pointless...until the twist ending. My middle school self would squeal with delight if he read this.

All of the "fictions" (calling them stories implies there's a plot, and there's certainly little of that going around in here) are interesting in their own way, but some get a little too heady. If you don't like reading that requires work, boy will some of the later stories like "The Theologians" and "Averroes' Search" leave you pretty darn frustrated. At times it can feel like you missed out on some required class reading. And it doesn't help that some of the translations feel a little more clunky than necessary.

The essays at the end are pretty nice to see Borges expand on some ideas that show up in his stories, but unless you LOVE philosophy, it makes for some pretty dry reading. And the parables are neat but oddly shoved in with the essays. I think what keeps me from giving this five stars is Borges's genius is muddled by the collection throwing all these different things into one book. TWO introductions is also ridiculous; I could not give less of a crap about William Gibson's rambling, pointless musing on Borges.

But let me be clear: I really, really liked this. Borges was a keen and inventive thinker, and it's obvious how he blazed the trail for a lot of other writers, like Umberto Eco. He's rightfully required reading. I just wish the collection was given as much thought and care as Borges puts into every single one of his fictions.

40 people found this helpful

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mrthinkndrink

Mind expanding

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2018

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I must admit that Borges is one of those "must read" authors that I had never gotten around to. Don't know why, just hadn't. But now that I have, I understand all the hoopla. His writing shows a classic, authorial imagination par excellence. It is clear that Borges was grandfather to Eco and so many others who write to celebrate and stimulate and challenge the intellect. Labyrinths is a collection of stories revolving--as the planets, the asteroids, et al, do around the sun--around the concept of the labyrinth, whether it be one of time or space or pure imagination. Every story stands on its own; every story illuminates another facet of the cosmic jewel of labyrinth-ness. Have you ever noticed how a wonderful writer gives so much to his audience? Borges certainly proves that hypothesis in this remarkable collection.

17 people found this helpful

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B. Kent Harrison

Bizarre, yet profound stories

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2017

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I have been familiar with this collection of stories for many years and have always found them fascinating. The word "labyrinths" aptly describes the nature of the stories. "The Garden of Forking Paths," for example, has a strange, ultimately tragic, plot, but it is suggestive of the many-worlds view of quantum mechanics. "The Library of Babel" is another eerie, strange tale. There are many allusions. I never tire of reading these stories. I labelled the mood as "thoughtful," but it could also be classified as "dark."

20 people found this helpful

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Aidan Gavril W.

Tingling Curiosity

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2016

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Perplexing, extraordinary, and full of historical/philosophical/theological allusions. Perhaps, the single most fascinating magic realism literature I have ever read. (big Murakami fan) It is easy to see why authors such as Pynchon, Gibson, and Murakami credit Borges with inventing the genre. Furthermore, I can see why most well-read fiction lovers hold Borges to such a high esteem. He weaves history, mystery, and the occult together into seamless works of fiction (sometimes no longer than 2 pages). At times it can be hard to distinguish the fictional from the historical, but this is undoubtedly purposeful and provides readers with a tingling curiosity.

14 people found this helpful

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Brody

word soup

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2019

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This book is a hot mess. It is on the verge of unreadable. Borges writing style is juvenile and meandering. He is soaked in post-modernism delusion that contradictorally demands that you NOT make any value judgements, while simultaneously judging that traditional human thoughts and values are outdated garbage. Seriously, it is that bad.

Don't throw your money away on this pile of drivel.

4 people found this helpful

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Sturmey Archer

Labyrinths

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2015

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Good writers can transport the reader to another place. Few authors however, can rival Borges for imaginative use of the narrative form to transport the reader to a completely different plane of existence. In the span of a few pages he constructs a snow globe and populates it with sights, sounds, visions, events, forms, and inhabitants which elevate the consciousness and leave you astonished and wondering: what in this world did he experience that provided the inspiration for these exhilarating stories? I don't know the answer, but anyone reading his works will be profoundly grateful that he found that inspiration and acted upon it.

13 people found this helpful

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Oz DiGennaro

hallucinogenic writing -- in the best sense imaginable

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2019

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You cannot read this book, these essays, without flying into an alternate, confusing, fearful reality.
So. Do it!
But it's not for the faint of heart. And if you don't get all the allusions (I don't for sure), keep going.
Spoiler: one or two essays in this book were foundation for "Name of the Rose". You'll see.

If you want to immerse yourself in alternate reality -- this is the book. Otherwise -- put it down.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Readers Beware

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2019

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Potential buyers/readers should beware that the majority of this book of Borges stories (the first 207 pages to be exact) have been published separately under the title of Ficciones or Fictions.

This collection of "Fictions, Essays and Parables" are essential reading for anyone who reads Borges. I am not his biggest fan but I found much of this book quite enthralling but have to admit I found it difficult to follow at times. Overall a nice volume by a highly acclaimed writer.

10 people found this helpful

caw1994

escapist genius

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2012

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This is probably the first serious work of literature I have ever read, and although I know next to nothing about literature, I wouldn't shy away from predicting it to be the best I will ever read. The sheer imagination present in this book, in both the 'creative, wacky' sense of the word and in the more literal sense of an ability to deal with abstract ideas, is astonishing.If you like anything slightly unconventional, enjoy thinking about philosophical problems, or even simply like short stories,you will like this collection, without doubt. Highlights include stories about an infinite library with every possible book in every possible language (including meanigless letter combinations), and the mad cults that develop as a result of the frustration people have in finding any coherent language at all, and the story of a man who can remeber literally everything he experiences (take 'literally' completely literally). You'll know already if that sounds appealing, but who am I to even attempt to describe the works in this book. It really does have to be read to be appreciated. It is worth buying just for the possibility you will enjoy it, because if you do, it's incredible, and even if you don't, you can still move on safe in the knowledge there's (almost certainly) nothing quite like Borges you will ever read which could possibly provoke your bad memories of it!

5 people found this helpful

Roger Keen

The stories read like the prose equivalents of paintings by Magritte

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2018

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Essential works from the Godfather of Metafiction. The stories read like the prose equivalents of paintings by Magritte, De Chirico, Delvaux or Escher. Perhaps they lose a tiny bit in translation, but their effects remain uniquely tantalising.

2 people found this helpful

Carol H

bought as a gift

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2021

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good condition

MR R O'GORMAN

5 stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2014

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Fantastic collection of short narratives. Highly recommended. Borges has the ability to bend your mind into various vicissitudes of time and space. Mind blowing.

One person found this helpful

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