An Examination of the Work of Herbert Quain
Encyclopedia
"An Examination of the Work of Herbert Quain" (original Spanish
title: "Examen de la obra de Herbert Quain") is a 1941 short story
by Argentine
writer Jorge Luis Borges
. It was included in the anthology Ficciones
, part one (The Garden of Forking Paths). The title has also been translated as A Survey of the Works of Herbert Quain.
s is a favorite device of Borges (see, for instance, his "pseudo-essay" The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim in Ficciones
).
The fictional essayist's vanity, affectation, and hypocrisy "gives the story a satirical coloration" and, along with the reactions of the misunderstanding and unappreciative public, serve to, by contrast, emphasize Quain's "uncompromising purity."
(Original Portuguese title O ano da morte de Ricardo Reis), José Saramago
's protagonist, Ricardo Reis, spends much time considering the work The God of the Labyrinth by Herbert Quain.
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: "Examen de la obra de Herbert Quain") is a 1941 short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
writer 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...
. It was included in the anthology Ficciones
Ficciones
Ficciones is the most popular anthology of short stories by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges, often considered the best introduction to his work. Ficciones should not be confused with Labyrinths, although they have much in common. Labyrinths is a separate translation of Borges' material,...
, part one (The Garden of Forking Paths). The title has also been translated as A Survey of the Works of Herbert Quain.
Plot summary
"An Examination of the Work of Herbert Quain" is a fictional essay surveying the following works, written by fictional deceased Irish author Herbert Quain:- The God of the Labyrinth (1933), a detective story in which the solution given is wrong, although this fact is not immediately obvious
- April March (1936), a novel with nine different beginnings, trifurcating backwards in time
- The Secret Mirror, a play in which the first act is the work of one of the characters in the second act
- Statements (1939), eight stories which are deliberately calculated to disappoint the reader; The Circular RuinsThe Circular Ruins"The Circular Ruins" is a fantasy short story by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. Published in the literary journal Sur in December 1940, it was included in the 1941 collection The Garden of Forking Paths and then in part one of the 1944 collection Ficciones...
is supposedly an extract from the third story, "The Rose of Yesterday"
Style
The review of fictional bookFictional book
A fictional book is a book that sometimes provides the basis of the plot of a story, a common thread in a series of books, or the works of a particular writer or canon of work. A fictional book may also be used as a mode of conceit to illustrate a story within a story.-Prominent fictional...
s is a favorite device of Borges (see, for instance, his "pseudo-essay" The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim in Ficciones
Ficciones
Ficciones is the most popular anthology of short stories by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges, often considered the best introduction to his work. Ficciones should not be confused with Labyrinths, although they have much in common. Labyrinths is a separate translation of Borges' material,...
).
The fictional essayist's vanity, affectation, and hypocrisy "gives the story a satirical coloration" and, along with the reactions of the misunderstanding and unappreciative public, serve to, by contrast, emphasize Quain's "uncompromising purity."
Influence
In his 1984 novel The Year of the Death of Ricardo ReisThe Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis is a 1984 novel by Portuguese novelist José Saramago, the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in literature...
(Original Portuguese title O ano da morte de Ricardo Reis), José Saramago
José Saramago
José de Sousa Saramago, GColSE was a Nobel-laureate Portuguese novelist, poet, playwright and journalist. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the human factor. Harold Bloom has described Saramago as "a...
's protagonist, Ricardo Reis, spends much time considering the work The God of the Labyrinth by Herbert Quain.