The Book of Sand (book)
Encyclopedia
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 (while blind), is his best book, an opinion not shared by most critics, who prefer his other works such as Ficciones
.
Referring to the collection, Borges said:
The first edition
, published in Buenos Aires
by Emecé, contained 181 pages. In Madrid
it was edited that year by Ultramar.
Borges opts for an epilogue
to this short story collection, different to the cases of his previous collections The Garden of Forking Paths
(1941) and Artifices (1944) (later republished together in Ficciones
), which had a prologue
. Regarding this, Borges begins The Book of Sand's epilogue by saying: "To prologue unread stories is an almost impossible work, as it demands the analysis of plots one should not anticipate. I prefer, thus, an epilogue."
Amongst these stories the most notable include: The Other, the first story of the collection, in which the protagonist (Borges himself) encounters a younger version of himself (similar to his later short story August 25, 1983), The Congress, on an utopic universal congress
(seen by critics as a political
essay), There Are More Things, written in memory of H. P. Lovecraft
, on an encounter with a monstrous extraterrestrial inhabiting an equally monstrous house, Undr, on the maximum poetic synthesis, The Sect of the Thirty, on an ancient manuscript that tells of the characteristics of a sect that equally venerated Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot
, A Weary Man's Utopia (according to Borges, "the most honest and melancholic piece in the collection"), The Disk, on a one-sided coin, and the titular work The Book of Sand, on a book with infinite pages.
Evaluating his work, Borges said:
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...
, published in 1975
1975 in literature
The year 1975 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* August 12 — with the 20-year time limit stipulated by Thomas Mann at his death having expired, sealed packets containing 32 of the author's notebooks were opened in Zurich, Switzerland.* Writing under the...
. According to the author's opinion, the collection, written in his last days (while blind), is his best book, an opinion not shared by most critics, who prefer his other works such as 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,...
.
Referring to the collection, Borges said:
The first edition
First edition
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...
, published in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
by Emecé, contained 181 pages. In Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
it was edited that year by Ultramar.
Borges opts for an epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
to this short story collection, different to the cases of his previous collections The Garden of Forking Paths
The Garden of Forking Paths
"The Garden of Forking Paths" is a 1941 short story by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges. It is the title story in the collection El jardín de senderos que se bifurcan , which was republished in its entirety in Ficciones in 1944...
(1941) and Artifices (1944) (later republished together 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,...
), which had a prologue
Prologue
A prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
. Regarding this, Borges begins The Book of Sand's epilogue by saying: "To prologue unread stories is an almost impossible work, as it demands the analysis of plots one should not anticipate. I prefer, thus, an epilogue."
Content
The work consists essentially of a collection of thirteen short stories (original titles in italics):- The OtherThe Other (short story)"The Other" is a 1972 short story by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, collected in the anthology The Book of Sand....
(El Otro) - UlrikkeUlrikke (short story)"Ulrikke" is a short story by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, collected in the anthology The Book of Sand. It is notable because it is one of the few of Borges' stories in which women and sex play a central role...
(Ulrica) - The CongressThe Congress (short story)The Congress is a 1975 short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. The story is on an utopic universal congress and is seen by critics as a political essay....
(El Congreso) - There Are More ThingsThere Are More Things"There Are More Things" is a short story written by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges in 1975. It was first published in the short story collection The Book of Sand, as the collection's fourth short story. The story tells of the encounter the narrator has with a monstrous extraterrestrial...
(There Are More Things) - The Sect of the Thirty (La Secta de los Treinta)
- The Night of the Gifts (La noche de los dones)
- The Mirror and the Mask (El espejo y la máscara)
- Undr (Undr)
- A Weary Man's Utopia (Utopía de un hombre que está cansado)
- The Bribe (El soborno)
- Avelino Arredondo (Avelino Arredondo)
- The DiskThe DiskThe Disk is a 1975 short story written by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. It appears in the collection The Book of Sand.-Synopsis:...
(El disco) - The Book of SandThe 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....
(El libro de arena)
Amongst these stories the most notable include: The Other, the first story of the collection, in which the protagonist (Borges himself) encounters a younger version of himself (similar to his later short story August 25, 1983), The Congress, on an utopic universal congress
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations , or groups....
(seen by critics as a political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
essay), There Are More Things, written in memory of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, on an encounter with a monstrous extraterrestrial inhabiting an equally monstrous house, Undr, on the maximum poetic synthesis, The Sect of the Thirty, on an ancient manuscript that tells of the characteristics of a sect that equally venerated Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
, A Weary Man's Utopia (according to Borges, "the most honest and melancholic piece in the collection"), The Disk, on a one-sided coin, and the titular work The Book of Sand, on a book with infinite pages.
Evaluating his work, Borges said: