A Universal History of Infamy
Encyclopedia
A Universal History of Infamy, or A Universal History of Iniquity (original Spanish
title: Historia universal de la infamia), is a collection of short stories
by Jorge Luis Borges
, first published in 1935, and revised by the author in 1954. Most were published individually in the newspaper Critica between 1933 and 1934. Angel Flores, the first to use the term "magical realism", set the beginning of the movement with this book.
The stories (except Hombre de la esquina rosada) are fictionalised accounts of real criminals. The sources are listed at the end of the book, but Borges makes many alterations in the retelling—arbitrary or otherwise—particularly to dates and names, so the accounts cannot be relied upon as historical. In particular, The Disinterested Killer diverges from its source material.
Two English translations exist, the first from 1972 and the second from 1999 (part of a collected edition, published as a separate book in 2004). The 1972 English edition (A Universal History of Infamy, ISBN 0-525-47546-X) was translated by Norman Thomas di Giovanni
. The 2004 English edition (A Universal History of Iniquity, ISBN 0-14-243789-1), translated by Andrew Hurley
, was published by Penguin Classics
, a division of British publisher Penguin Books
.
Borges was reluctant to authorise a translation. In his preface to the 1954 edition, Borges distanced himself somewhat from the book, which he gave as an example of the baroque, "when art flaunts and squanders its resources"; he wrote that the stories are "the irresponsible sport of a shy sort of man who could not bring himself to write short stories, and so amused himself by changing and distorting (sometimes without aesthetic justification) the stories of other men" and that "under all the storm and lightning, there is nothing."
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
title: Historia universal de la infamia), is a collection of short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
by Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
, first published in 1935, and revised by the author in 1954. Most were published individually in the newspaper Critica between 1933 and 1934. Angel Flores, the first to use the term "magical realism", set the beginning of the movement with this book.
The stories (except Hombre de la esquina rosada) are fictionalised accounts of real criminals. The sources are listed at the end of the book, but Borges makes many alterations in the retelling—arbitrary or otherwise—particularly to dates and names, so the accounts cannot be relied upon as historical. In particular, The Disinterested Killer diverges from its source material.
Two English translations exist, the first from 1972 and the second from 1999 (part of a collected edition, published as a separate book in 2004). The 1972 English edition (A Universal History of Infamy, ISBN 0-525-47546-X) was translated by Norman Thomas di Giovanni
Norman Thomas di Giovanni
Norman Thomas di Giovanni is an American-born editor and translator known for his collaboration with Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges.-Biography:...
. The 2004 English edition (A Universal History of Iniquity, ISBN 0-14-243789-1), translated by Andrew Hurley
Andrew Hurley (academic)
Andrew Hurley is primarily known as an English translator of Spanish literature, having translated a variety of authors, most notably the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges....
, was published by Penguin Classics
The Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection
Penguin Classics is an imprint published by Penguin Books, a subsidiary of Pearson PLC. They are published in varying editions throughout the world including in the United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, South Africa, and South Korea...
, a division of British publisher Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
.
Borges was reluctant to authorise a translation. In his preface to the 1954 edition, Borges distanced himself somewhat from the book, which he gave as an example of the baroque, "when art flaunts and squanders its resources"; he wrote that the stories are "the irresponsible sport of a shy sort of man who could not bring himself to write short stories, and so amused himself by changing and distorting (sometimes without aesthetic justification) the stories of other men" and that "under all the storm and lightning, there is nothing."
Contents
| Original Spanish title | English (1972) | English (2004) | Central characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| El atroz redentor Lazarus Morell | The Dread Redeemer Lazarus Morell | The Cruel Redeemer Lazarus Morell | John Murrell John Murrell (bandit) John A. Murrell , a near-legendary bandit operating in the United States along the Mississippi River in the mid-nineteenth century... |
| El impostor inverosímil Tom Castro | Tom Castro, the Implausible Imposter | The Improbable Imposter Tom Castro | Arthur Orton Tichborne Case The affair of the Tichborne claimant was the celebrated 19th-century legal case in the United Kingdom of Arthur Orton , an imposter who claimed to be Sir Roger Tichborne , the missing heir to the Tichborne Baronetcy.... |
| La viuda Ching, pirata | The Widow Ching, Lady Pirate | The Widow Ching – Pirate | Ching Shih Ching Shih Ching Shih , also known as Zheng Yi Sao , was a prominent female pirate in middle Qing China.Ching Shih also known as Cheng I Sao terrorized the China Sea in the early 19th century. A brilliant cantonese female pirate, she commanded 1800 ships and more than 80,000 pirates — men, women, and even... |
| El proveedor de iniquidades Monk Eastman | Monk Eastman, Purveyor of Iniquities | Monk Eastman, Purveyor of Iniquities | Monk Eastman Monk Eastman Edward "Monk" Eastman was a New York City Gangster who founded and led one of the most powerful street gangs in New York City at the turn of the Twentieth Century, the Eastman Gang. His other aliases included Joseph "Joe" Morris, Joe Marvin, William "Bill" Delaney, and Edward "Eddie" Delaney... |
| El asesino desinteresado Bill Harrigan | The Disinterested Killer Bill Harrigan | The Disinterested Killer Bill Harrigan | Billy the Kid Billy the Kid William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier... |
| El incivil maestro de ceremonias Kotsuké no Suké | The Insulting Master of Etiquette Kôtsuké no Suké | The Uncivil Teacher of Court Etiquette Kôtsuké no Suké | Kira Yoshinaka Kira Yoshinaka was a kōke . His court title was Kōzuke no suke. He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the Forty-seven Ronin... |
| El tintorero enmascarado Hákim de Merv | The Masked Dyer, Hakim of Merv | Hakim, the Masked Dyer of Merv | Al-Muqanna Al-Muqanna Al-Muqanna‘ was a Persian man who claimed to be a prophet and is viewed as a heretic by mainstream Muslims.- Biography : Al-Muqanna‘ was an ethnic Persian from Merv named Hashim ibn Hakim, originally a clothes pleater. He became a commander for Abū Muslim of Khorasan... |
| Hombre de la esquina rosada | Streetcorner Man | Man on Pink Corner | |
| Etcétera | Et cetera | Et cetera | |
| Un teólogo en la muerte | A Theologian in Death | A Theologian in Death | Philipp Melanchthon Philipp Melanchthon Philipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems... |
| La cámara de las estatuas | The Chamber of Statues | The Chamber of Statues | |
| Historia de los dos que soñaron | Tale of the Two Dreamers | The Story of the Two Dreamers | |
| The Wizard Postponed | The Wizard that was Made to Wait | ||
| El espejo de tinta | The Mirror of Ink | The Mirror of Ink | |
| Un doble de Mahoma (added 1954) | A Double for Mohammed | Mahomed's Double | |
| El enemigo generoso (added 1954) | The Generous Enemy | The Generous Enemy | |
| Del rigor en la ciencia (added 1954) | On Exactitude in Science | On Exactitude in Science On Exactitude in Science "On Exactitude in Science" or "On Rigor in Science" is a one-paragraph short story by Jorge Luis Borges, about the map/territory relation, written in the form of a literary forgery.-Plot:The story elaborates on a concept in Lewis Carroll's Sylvie and Bruno Concluded: a fictional map that had "the... |