Shakespeare's Memory (book)
Encyclopedia
Shakespeare's Memory is a short story collection published in 1983
that collects the last stories by Argentine
writer
Jorge Luis Borges
, which had been published in diverse mediums, such as the national newspapers La Nación
and Clarín
. It was published three years before the author's death.
An English
translation of the stories by Andrew Hurley
was published in Collected Fictions.
"August 25, 1983", the first story of the collection, is about Borges encountering an older version of himself at the last minutes of his life (it is similar to Borges' previous story "The Other
", from the collection The Book of Sand
, in which a younger and an older Borges also meet). In "Blue Tigers
", the narrator gets hold of a group of mysterious blue stones whose number continuously multiplies and divides when one is not looking (retaking the themes of his previous stories "The Zahir
", "The Disk
", and "The Book of Sand
": a direct confrontation with the inconceivable, in the form of an impossible object). "The Rose of Paracelsus" illustrates the old dispute between faith
and incredulity. And finally, the titular story "Shakespeare's Memory
" (Borges' very last story) is about a man who is given the memory of William Shakespeare
, enabling him to peer into the playwright's most secret thoughts, but also overloading him to the point of slowly forgetting his own life. Borges got the idea for this last story when, at eighty years of age, he dreamed that a faceless man offered him the memory of Shakespeare in a hotel room.
1983 in literature
The year 1983 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Ironweed by William Kennedy is published.*Salvage for the Saint by Peter Bloxsom and John Kruse is published. This is the final book in a series of novels, novellas and short stories featuring the Leslie Charteris...
that collects the last stories 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
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
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...
, which had been published in diverse mediums, such as the national newspapers La Nación
La Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
and Clarín
Clarín (newspaper)
Clarín is the largest newspaper in Argentina, published by the Grupo Clarín media group. It was founded by Roberto Noble on 28 August 1945. It is politically centrist but popularly understood to oppose the Kirchner government...
. It was published three years before the author's death.
An English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation of the stories 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 in Collected Fictions.
Content
The collection contains only four short stories, making it Borges' shortest anthology. These are (original titles in italics):- "August 25, 1983" ("Veinticinco de agosto, 1983")
- "Blue TigersBlue Tigers"Blue Tigers" is a short story by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. It was first published in the book Rosa y Azul, in 1977. In 1983, it was collected in the book Shakespeare's Memory.-Plot:...
" ("Tigres azules") - "The Rose of Paracelsus" ("La rosa de Paracelso")
- "Shakespeare's MemoryShakespeare's Memory"Shakespeare's Memory" is a short story by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges originally published in 1983, in the book of the same name. This is one of Borges' last stories, but it differs little, both thematically and stylistically from the much earlier stories that made him famous...
" ("La memoria de Shakespeare")
"August 25, 1983", the first story of the collection, is about Borges encountering an older version of himself at the last minutes of his life (it is similar to Borges' previous story "The Other
The Other (short story)
"The Other" is a 1972 short story by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, collected in the anthology The Book of Sand....
", from the collection The Book of Sand
The Book of Sand (book)
The Book of Sand is a short story collection by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, published in 1975. According to the author's opinion, the collection, written in his last days , is his best book, an opinion not shared by most critics, who prefer his other works such as Ficciones.Referring to...
, in which a younger and an older Borges also meet). In "Blue Tigers
Blue Tigers
"Blue Tigers" is a short story by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. It was first published in the book Rosa y Azul, in 1977. In 1983, it was collected in the book Shakespeare's Memory.-Plot:...
", the narrator gets hold of a group of mysterious blue stones whose number continuously multiplies and divides when one is not looking (retaking the themes of his previous stories "The Zahir
The Zahir
The Zahir is a short story by the Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. It is one of the stories in the book The Aleph and Other Stories, first published in 1949, and revised by the author in 1974....
", "The Disk
The Disk
The Disk is a 1975 short story written by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. It appears in the collection The Book of Sand.-Synopsis:...
", and "The Book of Sand
The Book of Sand
"The Book of Sand" is a 1975 short story by Jorge Luis Borges. It has parallels to "The Zahir", continuing the theme of self-reference and attempting to abandon the terribly infinite....
": a direct confrontation with the inconceivable, in the form of an impossible object). "The Rose of Paracelsus" illustrates the old dispute between faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
and incredulity. And finally, the titular story "Shakespeare's Memory
Shakespeare's Memory
"Shakespeare's Memory" is a short story by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges originally published in 1983, in the book of the same name. This is one of Borges' last stories, but it differs little, both thematically and stylistically from the much earlier stories that made him famous...
" (Borges' very last story) is about a man who is given the memory of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, enabling him to peer into the playwright's most secret thoughts, but also overloading him to the point of slowly forgetting his own life. Borges got the idea for this last story when, at eighty years of age, he dreamed that a faceless man offered him the memory of Shakespeare in a hotel room.