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The Library of Babel
Little Clothbound irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-SmithMagical books, infinite libraries, parallel worlds, mazes, labyrinths and philosophical paradoxes haunt these spellbinding tales by one of the most uniquely inventive short story writers of the twentieth century. This collection brings together many of Borges's greatest and most beloved stories, including 'The Garden of Forking Paths', 'The Book of Sand' and 'Shakespeare's Memory'.
Contents:
• The Garden of the Forking Paths
• Funes, His Memory
• The Library of Babel
• Death and the Compass
• Tiön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
• The Book of Sand
• The Lottery in Babylon
• Pierre Menard, author of the Quixote
• The Circular Ruins
• Shakespeare's Memory
Contents:
• The Garden of the Forking Paths
• Funes, His Memory
• The Library of Babel
• Death and the Compass
• Tiön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
• The Book of Sand
• The Lottery in Babylon
• Pierre Menard, author of the Quixote
• The Circular Ruins
• Shakespeare's Memory
176 pages, Hardcover
First published May 25, 2023
38 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
Jorge Luis Borges
1,589 books14.3k followersJorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known works, Ficciones (transl. Fictions) and El Aleph (transl. The Aleph), published in the 1940s, are collections of short stories exploring motifs such as dreams, labyrinths, chance, infinity, archives, mirrors, fictional writers and mythology. Borges's works have contributed to philosophical literature and the fantasy genre, and have had a major influence on the magic realist movement in 20th century Latin American literature.
Born in Buenos Aires, Borges later moved with his family to Switzerland in 1914, where he studied at the Collège de Genève. The family travelled widely in Europe, including Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and essays in surrealist literary journals. He also worked as a librarian and public lecturer. In 1955, he was appointed director of the National Public Library and professor of English Literature at the University of Buenos Aires. He became completely blind by the age of 55. Scholars have suggested that his progressive blindness helped him to create innovative literary symbols through imagination. By the 1960s, his work was translated and published widely in the United States and Europe. Borges himself was fluent in several languages.
In 1961, he came to international attention when he received the first Formentor Prize, which he shared with Samuel Beckett. In 1971, he won the Jerusalem Prize. His international reputation was consolidated in the 1960s, aided by the growing number of English translations, the Latin American Boom, and by the success of Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. He dedicated his final work, The Conspirators, to the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Writer and essayist J.M. Coetzee said of him: "He, more than anyone, renovated the language of fiction and thus opened the way to a remarkable generation of Spanish-American novelists."
Born in Buenos Aires, Borges later moved with his family to Switzerland in 1914, where he studied at the Collège de Genève. The family travelled widely in Europe, including Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and essays in surrealist literary journals. He also worked as a librarian and public lecturer. In 1955, he was appointed director of the National Public Library and professor of English Literature at the University of Buenos Aires. He became completely blind by the age of 55. Scholars have suggested that his progressive blindness helped him to create innovative literary symbols through imagination. By the 1960s, his work was translated and published widely in the United States and Europe. Borges himself was fluent in several languages.
In 1961, he came to international attention when he received the first Formentor Prize, which he shared with Samuel Beckett. In 1971, he won the Jerusalem Prize. His international reputation was consolidated in the 1960s, aided by the growing number of English translations, the Latin American Boom, and by the success of Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. He dedicated his final work, The Conspirators, to the city of Geneva, Switzerland. Writer and essayist J.M. Coetzee said of him: "He, more than anyone, renovated the language of fiction and thus opened the way to a remarkable generation of Spanish-American novelists."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 20, 2025
I'm new to Jorge Luis Borges. The Library of Babel was my first time reading him, and so, my mind was a blank canvas. I still don't comprehend the picture he painted there. It'll take time to understand and appreciate its various brush strokes. For now, I only see certain shapes and colour combinations, and I make my own interpretation. My reading of this short story may not be in line with Borges's vision, yet it's the kind of story that could be looked at through different lenses. So, for me, The Library of Babel is an allegory for the universe, its creation, the meaning of life, as well as the human condition.
This is how Borges viewed the creation. Borges's views of the universe are complex. He saw the universe as one fixed entity. Whatever change the nature wrought in any other, the universe lived forever. The universe is vast and formidable. No human action can pose a threat to it. It is unique and consists of many mysteries that the limited human mind cannot fathom.
The nature of the universe is such that "if an eternal traveler should journey in any direction, he would find after untold centuries that the same volumes are repeated in the same order."
For ages, Man has searched for the truth of life without success, and Borges describes the struggle wonderfully.
Borges compares human frailty with the eternity of the universe and shows the permanent nature of the existence of the universe.
And finally, he shows how death ends all for humans.
Having said all, for the question Borges asks, "You who read me - are you certain you understand my language?" my answer is NO. :)
A word must be said about this Penguin edition. It consists of ten short stories by Jorge Luis Borges, including The Library of Babel. Some of them appear in his Ficciones. This review is only of The Library of Babel. The rest will be reviewed as part of Ficciones when I read that.
More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/
The Library has existed ab æternitate. Man, the imperfect librarian, may be the work of chance or of malevolent demiurges; the universe, with its elegant appointments, can only be the handiwork of a god.
This is how Borges viewed the creation. Borges's views of the universe are complex. He saw the universe as one fixed entity. Whatever change the nature wrought in any other, the universe lived forever. The universe is vast and formidable. No human action can pose a threat to it. It is unique and consists of many mysteries that the limited human mind cannot fathom.
The Library is so huge that any reduction by human hands must be infinitesimal. Each book is unique and irreplaceable...
The nature of the universe is such that "if an eternal traveler should journey in any direction, he would find after untold centuries that the same volumes are repeated in the same order."
When it was announced that the Library contained all books, the first reaction was unbounded joy. All men felt themselves possessors of an intact and secret treasure. There was no personal problem, no world problem, whose eloquent solution did not exist...there was much talk of The Vindications (books of apology and prophecies) that would vindicate for all time the actions of every person in the universe. Thousands of greedy individuals rushed downstairs, upstairs, spurred by the vain desire to find their Vindication. These pilgrims squabbled in the narrow corridors, muttered dark imprecations, strangled one another on the divine staircases, threw deceiving volumes, were themselves hurled to their deaths. Others went insane.
For ages, Man has searched for the truth of life without success, and Borges describes the struggle wonderfully.
It was argued, there must exist a book that is the cipher and perfect compendium of all the books, and some librarian must have examined that book; this librarian is analogous to a god. Many have gone in search of Him. For a hundred years, men beat every possible path, and every path in vain.
Borges compares human frailty with the eternity of the universe and shows the permanent nature of the existence of the universe.
Epidemics, heretical discords, and pilgrimages that inevitably degenerate into brigandage have decimated the population. I mentioned the suicides, which are more and more frequent every year. I suspect that the human species teeters at the verge of extinction, yet that the Library - enlightened, solitary, infinite, perfectly unmoving, armed with precious volumes, pointless, incorruptible, and secret - will endure.
And finally, he shows how death ends all for humans.
When I am dead, compassionate hands will throw me over the railing; my tomb will be the unfathomable air, my body will sink for ages, and will decay and dissolve in the wind engendered by my fall.
Having said all, for the question Borges asks, "You who read me - are you certain you understand my language?" my answer is NO. :)
A word must be said about this Penguin edition. It consists of ten short stories by Jorge Luis Borges, including The Library of Babel. Some of them appear in his Ficciones. This review is only of The Library of Babel. The rest will be reviewed as part of Ficciones when I read that.
More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/
January 25, 2025
I don't know if I love his writing or if I love the fact that I can love writing this much.
February 12, 2024
3.9 stars
the garden of forking paths: five stars
funes, his memory: three stars
the library of babel: five stars
death and the compass: five stars
tlön, uqbar, orbis tertius: two stars
the book of sand: three stars
the lottery in babylon: four stars
pierre menard, author of the quixote: five stars
the circular ruins: three stars
shakespeare’s memory: four stars
these stories are unique and thought provoking, even nearly a century after they were written. jorge luis borges’ writing is impeccable and the premise of each of these stories is truly fascinating. some are, as is standard, stronger than others in my opinion, and some are just more intriguing. glad i read this, and interesting to see the influence that he has had on magical realism.
the garden of forking paths: five stars
funes, his memory: three stars
the library of babel: five stars
death and the compass: five stars
tlön, uqbar, orbis tertius: two stars
the book of sand: three stars
the lottery in babylon: four stars
pierre menard, author of the quixote: five stars
the circular ruins: three stars
shakespeare’s memory: four stars
these stories are unique and thought provoking, even nearly a century after they were written. jorge luis borges’ writing is impeccable and the premise of each of these stories is truly fascinating. some are, as is standard, stronger than others in my opinion, and some are just more intriguing. glad i read this, and interesting to see the influence that he has had on magical realism.
February 14, 2024
I absolutely loved these stories and I don’t think I can write a review that will do them justice. Here are some eloquently written, mysterious, philosophical and compelling stories that blew my mind. They made me want to think long and hard about them, but not too long and not too hard, for I’m afraid some of the philosophical brain teasers and theories can make me go bananas…
This book contains the following stories:
-The Garden of the Forking Paths
-Funes, His Memory
-The Library of Babel
-Death and the Compass
-Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
-The Book of Sand
-The Lottery of Babylon
-Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote
-The Circular Ruins
-Shakespeare’s Memory
—————————
Quotes:
I imagined a labyrinth of labyrinths, a maze of mazes, a twisting, turning, ever widening labyrinth that contained both past and future and somehow implied the stars.
~ The Garden of Forking Paths
———
There is no combination of characters one can make — dhcmrlchtdj, for example — that the divine Library has not foreseen and that in one or more of its secret tongues does not hide a terrible significance. There is no syllable one can speak that is not filled with tenderness and terror, that is not, in one of those languages, the mighty name of a god. To speak is to commit tautologies. This pointless, verbose epistle already exists in one of the thirty volumes of the five bookshelves in one of the countless hexagons — as does its refutation. (A number ‘n’ of the possible languages employ the same vocabulary; in some of them the symbol ‘library’ possesses the correct definition ‘everlasting, ubiquitous system of hexagonal galleries,’ while a library — the thing — is a loaf of bread or a pyramid or something else, and the six words that define it themselves have other definitions. You who read me — are you certain you understand my language?)
~ The Library of Babel
———
He suggested I try to find the first page.
I took the cover in my left hand and opened the book, my thumb and forefinger almost touching. It was impossible: several pages always lay between the cover and my hand. It was as though they grew from the very book.
‘Now try to find the end.’
I failed there as well.
‘This can’t be,’ I stammered, my voice hardly recognizable as my own.
‘It can’t be, yet it is,’ The Bible peddler said, his voice little more than a whisper. ‘The number of pages in this book is infinite. No page is the first page; no page is the last. I don’t know why they’re numbered in this arbitrary way, but perhaps it’s to give one to understand that the terms of an infinite series can be numbered any way whatever.’
~ The Book of Sand
———
To be not a man, but the projection of another man’s dream — what incomparable humiliation, what vertigo!
~ The Circular Ruins
This book contains the following stories:
-The Garden of the Forking Paths
-Funes, His Memory
-The Library of Babel
-Death and the Compass
-Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
-The Book of Sand
-The Lottery of Babylon
-Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote
-The Circular Ruins
-Shakespeare’s Memory
—————————
Quotes:
I imagined a labyrinth of labyrinths, a maze of mazes, a twisting, turning, ever widening labyrinth that contained both past and future and somehow implied the stars.
~ The Garden of Forking Paths
———
There is no combination of characters one can make — dhcmrlchtdj, for example — that the divine Library has not foreseen and that in one or more of its secret tongues does not hide a terrible significance. There is no syllable one can speak that is not filled with tenderness and terror, that is not, in one of those languages, the mighty name of a god. To speak is to commit tautologies. This pointless, verbose epistle already exists in one of the thirty volumes of the five bookshelves in one of the countless hexagons — as does its refutation. (A number ‘n’ of the possible languages employ the same vocabulary; in some of them the symbol ‘library’ possesses the correct definition ‘everlasting, ubiquitous system of hexagonal galleries,’ while a library — the thing — is a loaf of bread or a pyramid or something else, and the six words that define it themselves have other definitions. You who read me — are you certain you understand my language?)
~ The Library of Babel
———
He suggested I try to find the first page.
I took the cover in my left hand and opened the book, my thumb and forefinger almost touching. It was impossible: several pages always lay between the cover and my hand. It was as though they grew from the very book.
‘Now try to find the end.’
I failed there as well.
‘This can’t be,’ I stammered, my voice hardly recognizable as my own.
‘It can’t be, yet it is,’ The Bible peddler said, his voice little more than a whisper. ‘The number of pages in this book is infinite. No page is the first page; no page is the last. I don’t know why they’re numbered in this arbitrary way, but perhaps it’s to give one to understand that the terms of an infinite series can be numbered any way whatever.’
~ The Book of Sand
———
To be not a man, but the projection of another man’s dream — what incomparable humiliation, what vertigo!
~ The Circular Ruins
December 27, 2023
This collection was a wonderful introduction to the world of Jorge Luis Borges. The stories weave together magical realism, metaphysics, comparative literature, satire, and philology, culminating in stories that feel sprawling despite their 10-20 page lengths.
Borges is in every sense of the word a genius. In nearly every story of this collection, he infuses mathematical quandaries with existential terror, toying with the ideas of infinities and infinitesimals and the immense discomfort these ideas induce in the human mind. In zooming out to discuss the concepts of the universe and multiverse, he thus places focus on the reader's psyche and the practical limits of cognition.
A couple of the stories lacked the depth of others and the scathing piece of satire "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" was a moment of tonal whiplash, but I certainly look forward to peeling back more layers lurking within the pieces on a re-read.
I read the Penguin Clothbound Classics collection titled The Library of Babel, not the singular short story.
Borges is in every sense of the word a genius. In nearly every story of this collection, he infuses mathematical quandaries with existential terror, toying with the ideas of infinities and infinitesimals and the immense discomfort these ideas induce in the human mind. In zooming out to discuss the concepts of the universe and multiverse, he thus places focus on the reader's psyche and the practical limits of cognition.
A couple of the stories lacked the depth of others and the scathing piece of satire "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" was a moment of tonal whiplash, but I certainly look forward to peeling back more layers lurking within the pieces on a re-read.
I read the Penguin Clothbound Classics collection titled The Library of Babel, not the singular short story.
August 2, 2025
Lasot Borhesu, šķiet, viņš ir vizionārs un skiču autors. Turklāt sajūtu līmenī drīzāk tehnisko shēmu autors. Šie stāsti atgādina savdabīgu anotāciju daudz lielākam darbam, par kuru alksti uzzināt vairāk. Ciparu kombināciju, ko gandrīz uzlauzt, bet tomēr seifa saturs neatklājas. Vienlaikus tas ir gan labi, gan kaitinoši, bet tā kā man patīk domāt par valodām, labirintiem un simboliem, vērtēju šo kā vērtīgu un intriģējošu pieredzi. Ne visus stāstus izlasīju, ne visi bija domāti man. Noteikti arī nav grāmata, ko izlasīt vienā rāvienā, katru konceptu ir vērts pārdomāt un attīstīt patstāvīgi.
June 3, 2025
Trippy, philosophical and Borges at his finest!
The universe as an infinite library containing all that has been written, will be written and could be written.
Some bits regarding hexagonal rooms remind me of Piranesi by Susanna Clark. It’s a very short story but interesting nonetheless.
This edition is a collection of other short stories, some of them funny and interesting, others a little dull to me, but still written in way that blends fact and fiction which I love in Borges his writings.
The universe as an infinite library containing all that has been written, will be written and could be written.
Some bits regarding hexagonal rooms remind me of Piranesi by Susanna Clark. It’s a very short story but interesting nonetheless.
This edition is a collection of other short stories, some of them funny and interesting, others a little dull to me, but still written in way that blends fact and fiction which I love in Borges his writings.
November 22, 2023
What if a thing went on indefinitely, huh? What if that happened, sucker?
Read
May 10, 2025I need to familiarize myself with Borge's game
June 7, 2025
I am a certified Tlön patriot
December 1, 2025
In what is essentially an awfully rare case of an immediate reread for me (1. bar two stories, The Book of Sand and Shakespeare’s Memory; 2. I believe the only occurrence that I can invoke upon my feeble consciousness is the time I read John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines, having a) been a very young teen and b) having just had a brief, fleeting encounter with one, of the dating sort), Borges’ stories are just as, if not even more fun the second time around.
In recent months, I’ve felt my reading prowess fall off quite a bit. I don’t make as much time for reading anymore, having started a bit of a cinephiliac journey about a year or so ago, which has a) opened my eyes to some incredible cinema; yet also b) debilitated my capability to embark on longer stories. Which is a real shame! I’m also in-between books in a writing regard, having committed to the strenuous endeavor of a full-time job. Yet food has to go in my mouth somehow, and there is very little time for oneself.
Overwhelming concerns (of the existential kind) aside, once I brush past the distractions, drifting thoughts and the desire to watch 250 Instagram reels, once I finally grow lucid, Borges offers great solace - his ideas are so interesting, his commitment so inspiring, his prose so precise and witty. I am all aboard the train. And I hope the conductor takes that damn phone away.
In recent months, I’ve felt my reading prowess fall off quite a bit. I don’t make as much time for reading anymore, having started a bit of a cinephiliac journey about a year or so ago, which has a) opened my eyes to some incredible cinema; yet also b) debilitated my capability to embark on longer stories. Which is a real shame! I’m also in-between books in a writing regard, having committed to the strenuous endeavor of a full-time job. Yet food has to go in my mouth somehow, and there is very little time for oneself.
Overwhelming concerns (of the existential kind) aside, once I brush past the distractions, drifting thoughts and the desire to watch 250 Instagram reels, once I finally grow lucid, Borges offers great solace - his ideas are so interesting, his commitment so inspiring, his prose so precise and witty. I am all aboard the train. And I hope the conductor takes that damn phone away.
November 20, 2025
'I was struck by the thought that a man may be the enemy of other men, the enemy of other men's other moments, yet not be the enemy of a country of fireflies, words, gardens, watercourses, zephyrs.'
The garden of forking paths
'That was when Bioy remembered a saying by one of the heresiarchs of Uqbar: Mirrors and copulation are abominable, for they multiply the number of mankind.'
Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertuiz
The garden of forking paths
'That was when Bioy remembered a saying by one of the heresiarchs of Uqbar: Mirrors and copulation are abominable, for they multiply the number of mankind.'
Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertuiz
October 13, 2025
Borges is not for me. I don’t mean to be rude but this philosophy and idealism is the adult version of middle school musings.
September 1, 2023
Did I understand it all? No. Did I enjoy it, nonetheless? Pretty much, yes.
I think it’s fair to say that Borges’ writing is fairly philosophical and, at times, quite dense and complicated. But overall, this collection of short stories was engaging and interesting. It is easy to see how he became a leading figure that inspired the boom in Latin-American literature (and magical realism) during the 1950’s and 60’s- His writing is laced with many of those themes that were to be expanded upon later by writers such as Garcia-Marquez.
I’ll be honest, I don’t quite understand the fixation with labyrinths and endless libraries, but then again maybe you don’t need to in order to fully enjoy the immaculate writing on offer here. I loved the idea that we go through life collecting and examining the thoughts of other people and integrating them into our own conceptualisations of the past and the future though. The way this idea was presented really resonated with me. It’s all a bit of a jumbled mess, but ultimately we take whatever we decide to interpret from it all.
I think it’s fair to say that Borges’ writing is fairly philosophical and, at times, quite dense and complicated. But overall, this collection of short stories was engaging and interesting. It is easy to see how he became a leading figure that inspired the boom in Latin-American literature (and magical realism) during the 1950’s and 60’s- His writing is laced with many of those themes that were to be expanded upon later by writers such as Garcia-Marquez.
I’ll be honest, I don’t quite understand the fixation with labyrinths and endless libraries, but then again maybe you don’t need to in order to fully enjoy the immaculate writing on offer here. I loved the idea that we go through life collecting and examining the thoughts of other people and integrating them into our own conceptualisations of the past and the future though. The way this idea was presented really resonated with me. It’s all a bit of a jumbled mess, but ultimately we take whatever we decide to interpret from it all.
August 16, 2023
This was my first time reading Jorge Luis Borges and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed his writing style and shocked that I had gone so long without reading a single one of his short stories. Some stories were better than others to me (The Library of Babel, Shakespeare's Memory, the story of Uqbar stand out) but I still enjoyed all of them. I think Borges's writing is somehow both incredibly indicative of its time yet also very modern. He both loves and hates academics and their field, and I think that most of the irony in these stories about professors and doctors is really funny.
Most of all, I'm impressed by his ability to have the audience understand the entire world of a story with just the first couple of paragraphs. There are very view short story writers that can do that for me.
Most of all, I'm impressed by his ability to have the audience understand the entire world of a story with just the first couple of paragraphs. There are very view short story writers that can do that for me.
May 7, 2025
“There are five shelves for each of the hexagon’s walls; each shelf holds thirty-two books of a uniform format; each book is of four hundred and ten pages...”
So begins Borges' surreal descent into an infinite library — a universe made of books, where meaning flickers between total order and complete chaos. This short story is less narrative than philosophical puzzle, blending mathematics, metaphysics, and existential dread into a few haunting pages.
It’s a work that scrambles your brain and stretches your imagination — a quiet thunderclap of an idea. Not necessarily for everyone, but unforgettable if it hits.
4★ for structure, scope, and the sheer audacity of imagining infinity—and locking it in a book.
September 25, 2023
Borges ist anstrengend zu lesen (zumindest in dieser englischen Übersetzung von Andrew Hurley). Die gehobene Komplexität des Satzbaus und Vokabulars erschweren den Einstieg zu Beginn jeder Story. Nach ein paar Seiten konnte ich mich dann immer orientieren und das Konzept genießen, das Borges in der jeweiligen Geschichte vorstellt, allen voran natürlich die Bibliothek von Babel selbst. Mehr als diese Vorschläge bieten seine Geschichten meist nicht, wenig Handlung, kein typisches Anfang-Mitte-Ende-Schema; sie dienen mehr als Leinwand für ziemlich interessante Gedanken über Sprache, Un/endlichkeit und Wissen.
August 30, 2023
Very interesting and curious collection of short stories. All stories present an interesting idea very thoughtfully and it allows the reader to immerse themselves in the worlds shaped in so little time.
Some stories were uninteresting to me, and not very inspiring either. My favourites were: The Garden of Forked Paths, The Library Of Babel, The Book of Sand, The Circular Ruins and Shakespeare's Memory.
8/10
Some stories were uninteresting to me, and not very inspiring either. My favourites were: The Garden of Forked Paths, The Library Of Babel, The Book of Sand, The Circular Ruins and Shakespeare's Memory.
8/10
February 13, 2024
The way Borges so effortlessly extrapolates tiny seeds of ideas into full on thought provoking spectacle in such a subtle way will never cease to amaze me. Touching on themes of infinity, creation, memory and identity several times over; yet each individual short story feels wholly unique. An incredibly talented writer and a wonderful collection to showcase such
June 3, 2024
"To infinity and beyond" is een hele goede samenvatting van dit kleine boekje met verhalen die allemaal op een of andere manier wel iets te maken hebben met oneindigheid.
May 6, 2024
Reminds me of stories I read as a child. A little bit eccentric, a little bit insightful.
May 23, 2024
A man of wonderfully convoluted imagination, who manages to make quite abstract concepts into engaging fables.
April 8, 2025
"Mirrors and copulation are abominable, for they multiply the number of mankind"
April 30, 2025
I enjoyed Borges’ intimate writing style. He used the first person perspective in all the stories, letting us get to know inner world of narrator. Sometimes he used an anonymous narrator. However, I did have often find the stories confusing - there were lots of references that I didn’t understand, and they sometimes used sentences in other languages and didn’t translate them. This was my first time reading any magic realism and I loved the way magical things were treated as expected or normal by the characters. He does not describe much and uses a lot of exposition to explain stories.
The Garden of the Forking Paths
I found this story difficult to understand at first but I think I appreciate it more after thinking about it for a bit. It’s very intellectually stimulating. The main character is Yu Tsun’s who is a Chinese spy working for the German government during WW2. He is trying to escape arrest and meets a man named Albert who explains the confusing novel that Yu Tsun’s ancestor wrote as being about how time has endless possibilities and worlds. In the end, Yu Tsun kills Albert to signal to the ‘Leader’ (Hitler) that this is the place for the Germans to bomb. I think the story is about the choices that we make and the different outcomes they lead to. One of the possibilities that Albert does not mention is Yu Tsun being his enemy - there are always different unknown futures we have not thought about. It’s interesting that Yu Tsen admits feeling remorse at the end of the story - maybe Albert made him realise the poor choices he has made or he regrets killing the man who uncovered this mystery.
Funes, His Memory
This was a story written as an obituary for someone called Funes who recently passed and the narrator met a few times in their life. Funes had an accident young in life that paralysed him but since the accident, he was able to remember everything. This story was really eye opening, simple, yet incredible. It posed the question of whether it was good to remember everything. Was Funes actually intelligent just because he remembered all? He didn’t seem to do much with his life so his ability held him back in some ways as he didn’t try to do more. The title also has a double meaning as it initially seems to be the title of an obituary but it is also literally about Funes’ memory. The narrator is engaging in an act of remembrance so memory is a key theme in this story.
The Library of Babel
This was a short story about a possibly infinite library that is said to contain books with all the possible arrangements of letters. I think the library represents the infinite and unknowable universe and poses the question of whether there is there any order in the chaos. The story explores man’s desire for certainty and understanding. It looks at the pain of not knowing and being unlikely to ever know, demonstrated by the suicides increasing in this world. It explores the pointlessness of life and whether it has any purpose or none at all.
Death and the Compass
In this story, a criminal creates a confusing mystery to ensnare a detective that imprisoned his brother. I didn’t really understand this. I thought that the detective Lonnrot had figured out the mystery but then he walked into a trap - was it intentional and he knew he would be killed? Or was he wrong in who he thought was the killer? The story ends with the criminal firing a shot at the detective so we can assume that he was killed but it’s interesting that it ends ambiguously and we don’t receive confirmation of this. The mystery that the criminal creates is quite esoteric, using religious symbols.
Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
This was a story about a world made up by a secret society and how information about it was proliferated around the world. I found this story very boring and confusing when describing the sciences of Tlon. However, it became more interesting when it explained the origins of Tlon and how it was created by the society. I think this story is about how conspiracies can arise and how something can become real in the minds of people.
The Book of Sand
The Book of Sand is an infinite book with an endless number of pages. In the story, there is a seller who intends to sell it and doesn’t haggle with the narrator. The narrator mentions this which intrigues the reader and makes us wonder why the seller wants to get rid of it. This was a very short, punchy story. I liked the length as it was straight to the point. The infinite book consumes the narrator and he gets rid of it. I think this story is about how infinity is frightening and how something we can’t make sense of can become an obsession whilst trying to make sense of it.
The Lottery in Babylon
This short story was about Babylon, a society that seems to be run by a shadowy Company that determines people’s lives by chance. This was also very short in length but it packed a lot of ideas into it. The narrator speaks as if whole classes of people have the same personalities and coherent views. The story explores people being willing to put their fate to chance. Perhaps they do not want to be in control. The story looks at the implications this society raises - for instance, people can get away with murder with the defence that it was the company fulfilling the draws. Questions are raised at the end about the existence of the company - have people been controlled by a lie about chance and luck?
Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote
This story is about the narrator’s friend, Menard, who is a writer that seeks to construct Don Quixote.
I found the beginning of this very boring when the narrator was listing the works of Menard. However, I enjoyed it more as it progressed. I think this story was about how meanings of texts can be enriched over time. It’s unclear what the purpose of reconstructing Don Quixote was - Menard sets it in a different context but it doesn’t seem different to other retellings set in different contexts even though it claims to be different and better than those. There are identical passages in both stories about how history is the mother of truth but the narrator praises Menard’s as superior. This made me question if is this story is a parody. It was quite funny. I had to look up if Menard was real - he is not.
The Circular Ruins
This short story is a man who comes to circular ruins where the Fire god helps him dream his son into existence. This story is about being aware of who you are. The narrator at the end realises that he was also a dream of another man and considered this to be a humiliation. He also wants to hide the fact his son is from a dream from him too. It poses the question of why this is a humiliation to be formed from a dream. It makes the reader question what can be considered ‘real’ as we were convinced the narrator was real and he had interiority but then he was not. However, I did suspect this during the story, not because the character wasn’t convincing but because of the overall arc of the story. The story is structured in a circular way as we return to the man approaching the ruins, though now they are in flames.
Shakespeare’s Memory
This story is about a man who agrees to take Shakespeare’s memories from another man. Unlike in most of the other short stories where the narrator is nameless, we are clearly told their name which is important to do as his identity is important in this story. The story explores our memories being part of who we are. The narrator seems to believe the literature created by Shakespeare is almost separate to the person who created them. Eventually, the man, who has studied Shakespeare all his life, cannot stand having these memories as he is losing his own identity and he gives them to someone else.
The Garden of the Forking Paths
I found this story difficult to understand at first but I think I appreciate it more after thinking about it for a bit. It’s very intellectually stimulating. The main character is Yu Tsun’s who is a Chinese spy working for the German government during WW2. He is trying to escape arrest and meets a man named Albert who explains the confusing novel that Yu Tsun’s ancestor wrote as being about how time has endless possibilities and worlds. In the end, Yu Tsun kills Albert to signal to the ‘Leader’ (Hitler) that this is the place for the Germans to bomb. I think the story is about the choices that we make and the different outcomes they lead to. One of the possibilities that Albert does not mention is Yu Tsun being his enemy - there are always different unknown futures we have not thought about. It’s interesting that Yu Tsen admits feeling remorse at the end of the story - maybe Albert made him realise the poor choices he has made or he regrets killing the man who uncovered this mystery.
Funes, His Memory
This was a story written as an obituary for someone called Funes who recently passed and the narrator met a few times in their life. Funes had an accident young in life that paralysed him but since the accident, he was able to remember everything. This story was really eye opening, simple, yet incredible. It posed the question of whether it was good to remember everything. Was Funes actually intelligent just because he remembered all? He didn’t seem to do much with his life so his ability held him back in some ways as he didn’t try to do more. The title also has a double meaning as it initially seems to be the title of an obituary but it is also literally about Funes’ memory. The narrator is engaging in an act of remembrance so memory is a key theme in this story.
The Library of Babel
This was a short story about a possibly infinite library that is said to contain books with all the possible arrangements of letters. I think the library represents the infinite and unknowable universe and poses the question of whether there is there any order in the chaos. The story explores man’s desire for certainty and understanding. It looks at the pain of not knowing and being unlikely to ever know, demonstrated by the suicides increasing in this world. It explores the pointlessness of life and whether it has any purpose or none at all.
Death and the Compass
In this story, a criminal creates a confusing mystery to ensnare a detective that imprisoned his brother. I didn’t really understand this. I thought that the detective Lonnrot had figured out the mystery but then he walked into a trap - was it intentional and he knew he would be killed? Or was he wrong in who he thought was the killer? The story ends with the criminal firing a shot at the detective so we can assume that he was killed but it’s interesting that it ends ambiguously and we don’t receive confirmation of this. The mystery that the criminal creates is quite esoteric, using religious symbols.
Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
This was a story about a world made up by a secret society and how information about it was proliferated around the world. I found this story very boring and confusing when describing the sciences of Tlon. However, it became more interesting when it explained the origins of Tlon and how it was created by the society. I think this story is about how conspiracies can arise and how something can become real in the minds of people.
The Book of Sand
The Book of Sand is an infinite book with an endless number of pages. In the story, there is a seller who intends to sell it and doesn’t haggle with the narrator. The narrator mentions this which intrigues the reader and makes us wonder why the seller wants to get rid of it. This was a very short, punchy story. I liked the length as it was straight to the point. The infinite book consumes the narrator and he gets rid of it. I think this story is about how infinity is frightening and how something we can’t make sense of can become an obsession whilst trying to make sense of it.
The Lottery in Babylon
This short story was about Babylon, a society that seems to be run by a shadowy Company that determines people’s lives by chance. This was also very short in length but it packed a lot of ideas into it. The narrator speaks as if whole classes of people have the same personalities and coherent views. The story explores people being willing to put their fate to chance. Perhaps they do not want to be in control. The story looks at the implications this society raises - for instance, people can get away with murder with the defence that it was the company fulfilling the draws. Questions are raised at the end about the existence of the company - have people been controlled by a lie about chance and luck?
Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote
This story is about the narrator’s friend, Menard, who is a writer that seeks to construct Don Quixote.
I found the beginning of this very boring when the narrator was listing the works of Menard. However, I enjoyed it more as it progressed. I think this story was about how meanings of texts can be enriched over time. It’s unclear what the purpose of reconstructing Don Quixote was - Menard sets it in a different context but it doesn’t seem different to other retellings set in different contexts even though it claims to be different and better than those. There are identical passages in both stories about how history is the mother of truth but the narrator praises Menard’s as superior. This made me question if is this story is a parody. It was quite funny. I had to look up if Menard was real - he is not.
The Circular Ruins
This short story is a man who comes to circular ruins where the Fire god helps him dream his son into existence. This story is about being aware of who you are. The narrator at the end realises that he was also a dream of another man and considered this to be a humiliation. He also wants to hide the fact his son is from a dream from him too. It poses the question of why this is a humiliation to be formed from a dream. It makes the reader question what can be considered ‘real’ as we were convinced the narrator was real and he had interiority but then he was not. However, I did suspect this during the story, not because the character wasn’t convincing but because of the overall arc of the story. The story is structured in a circular way as we return to the man approaching the ruins, though now they are in flames.
Shakespeare’s Memory
This story is about a man who agrees to take Shakespeare’s memories from another man. Unlike in most of the other short stories where the narrator is nameless, we are clearly told their name which is important to do as his identity is important in this story. The story explores our memories being part of who we are. The narrator seems to believe the literature created by Shakespeare is almost separate to the person who created them. Eventually, the man, who has studied Shakespeare all his life, cannot stand having these memories as he is losing his own identity and he gives them to someone else.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2025
soms bijna Cosmic horror achtige verhalen
November 14, 2025
A depiction of how infinite none-sense can generate sense.
April 5, 2025
The first part of this is no longer valid. Ive had a change of heart. But I'll leave the first part. My actual revised feelings are on down the bottom....When I think I'm not going to understand something I'll overthink it until I myself make it impossible to understand. I am a self fulfilling prophecy. Borges is one of the authors I do this with. And it is very irritating. Especially because half the time there is a very mathy undercurrent to his stories and that is entirely my wheelhouse. Ted Chiang who I love, is a mathy author of short stories and the difference is I never approach wee Ted thinking I won't get it. Although in my defense Borges does dress things up in a slightly maddening way. The collection of stories in this dinky little clothbound penguin deals with infinity, and different kinds, and things that you'd think are infinite but aren't - the library of Babel which is constructed in a shape that I've a feeling requires the ability to visualise 4 dimensions as opposed to our 3, is actually finite, it just holds every possible permutation of 25 characters in books limited to 410 pages. It'll be a massive number, specifically 25 to the power of 1,312,000, so if you took all of the atoms in the observable universe that's still considerable less than that which equates to a number which is in the region of 2 followed by 1.8 million zeros i.e even more books than I own. There's the book of sand, this is sort of like how there's infinite numbers between say 0 and 1. There's infinite whole numbers too, but these are countably infinite whereas those between 0 and 1 are uncountably infinite. Makes no intuitive sense yet entirely correct. The garden of the forking paths is something in the region of quantum physics and multiverses and that sort of carry on, death and the compass is kind of probability, kind of game theory, very paradoxy, the lottery in Babylon is fate/probability/omnipresent deities, and Pierre Menard grapples with how we read something depending on our knowledge of who wrote it. Everyone now dislikes JK Rowling, so they see Harry Potter differently. Say it was written by Jacqueline Wilson, you'd not have the same problems with it. Or for me if Borges was written by Chiang I'd not nearly feel so confused. To paraphrase my favourite Erin Brockovich line I've got two wrong feet and ugly shoes. It should be 5/5 but I've been driven mad.
Edit - I've revised my decision.
I was thinking about it this morning and it's possibly one of those books boys like to make a big deal about when really it's sort of nonsense. And I did that thing were you're too scared to stand by your own opinion. I've read it twice and really the only thing I remember is one of the characters is from fray bentos and that's an actual country rather than a dodgy pie that dads from the 1980s like. ALSO I think he's trying to just be paradoxy which are okay to think about in their usual one sentence format but really just a pointless thought exercise and Borges makes it worse by dressing it up as a convoluted story. Basically my review is underpinned by the same behaviour that causes you to laugh at a joke you don't get because you are worried people will think you're too dim to understand. But really the joke just isn't funny. To be brief - Borges is the dingus not me. Now if I manage to stand by my conviction in Mexico is a whole other matter.
Edit - I've revised my decision.
I was thinking about it this morning and it's possibly one of those books boys like to make a big deal about when really it's sort of nonsense. And I did that thing were you're too scared to stand by your own opinion. I've read it twice and really the only thing I remember is one of the characters is from fray bentos and that's an actual country rather than a dodgy pie that dads from the 1980s like. ALSO I think he's trying to just be paradoxy which are okay to think about in their usual one sentence format but really just a pointless thought exercise and Borges makes it worse by dressing it up as a convoluted story. Basically my review is underpinned by the same behaviour that causes you to laugh at a joke you don't get because you are worried people will think you're too dim to understand. But really the joke just isn't funny. To be brief - Borges is the dingus not me. Now if I manage to stand by my conviction in Mexico is a whole other matter.
September 26, 2025
Fell very flat for me. Maybe it is the translation. I could barely get through this very short collection.
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