What do you think?
Rate this book
Máscaras venecianas - La sierva ajena
La impecable construcción de sus relatos es, quizá, la característica que con mayor frecuencia ha destacado la crítica con respecto a las obras del escritor argentino ADOLFO BIOY CASARES. Autor de novelas como El sueño de los héroes (1954) o Dormir al sol (1973), y de numerosos cuentos reunidos en diversas recopilaciones, colaboró también con Jorge Luis Borges, utilizando, entre otros, el seudónimo de H. Bustos Domecq. Máscaras venecianas y La sierva ajena son dos historias fantásticas que revelan su maestría literaria.
94 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
2 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Adolfo Bioy Casares
238 books877 followersAdolfo Vicente Perfecto Bioy Casares (1914-1999) was born in Buenos Aires, the child of wealthy parents. He began to write in the early Thirties, and his stories appeared in the influential magazine Sur, through which he met his wife, the painter and writer Silvina Ocampo, as well Jorge Luis Borges, who was to become his mentor, friend, and collaborator. In 1940, after writing several novice works, Bioy published the novella The Invention of Morel, the first of his books to satisfy him, and the first in which he hit his characteristic note of uncanny and unexpectedly harrowing humor. Later publications include stories and novels, among them A Plan for Escape, A Dream of Heroes, and Asleep in the Sun. Bioy also collaborated with Borges on an Anthology of Fantastic Literature and a series of satirical sketches written under the pseudonym of H. Bustos Domecq.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 24, 2023
Story 6/72 from Black Water 1 (The Anthology of Fantastic Literature) read together with The Short Story Club
This short story made no sense whatsoever. I know it should be a fantastic story and some things have no explanation, but I do not see the connection between the main character's strange illness and the out of nowhere big reveal at the end. Actually, I do not understand why the author choose to introduce that element and the way he did it was poor writing to me.
A man falls in love with a Biologist, and soon becomes afflicted by an incurable fever. Afraid not to become a burden, he splits with the love of his life. He becomes better and at some point decides to visit Europe, ending up in Venice during the Carnival. There, he meets again his ex, Daniela. Some things happen which felt rushed and out of place. I liked the way the author set the atmosphere in the beginning but then, I do not know, it felt like there were 2 different stories.
Adolfo Bioy Casares is an Argentinian writer of fantastic literature. His novella, The Invention of Morel, was named perfect by Borges, also his friend. I definitely enjoyed that one better and my review of the novella is here
This short story made no sense whatsoever. I know it should be a fantastic story and some things have no explanation, but I do not see the connection between the main character's strange illness and the out of nowhere big reveal at the end. Actually, I do not understand why the author choose to introduce that element and the way he did it was poor writing to me.
A man falls in love with a Biologist, and soon becomes afflicted by an incurable fever. Afraid not to become a burden, he splits with the love of his life. He becomes better and at some point decides to visit Europe, ending up in Venice during the Carnival. There, he meets again his ex, Daniela. Some things happen which felt rushed and out of place. I liked the way the author set the atmosphere in the beginning but then, I do not know, it felt like there were 2 different stories.
Adolfo Bioy Casares is an Argentinian writer of fantastic literature. His novella, The Invention of Morel, was named perfect by Borges, also his friend. I definitely enjoyed that one better and my review of the novella is here
October 21, 2023
I read an English translation, titled "Venetian Masks".
There is a detached unreality to this that escalates from the relatively prosaic start to a frantic search amid the teeming streets of Venice during carnival.
The narrator is a journalist in Buenos Aires who develops a chronic illness that may or may not be curable and may or may not be psychosomatic. He splits from his girlfriend, Daniela, a brilliant biologist, rather than be a burden to her. Both are devastated. She continues her career, and he becomes a recluse: life is empty without her, and he feels shame about his illness. But he wants to recover:
“The unflinching goal of rebuilding the crumbled sandcastle of my health.”
Image: A crumbling sandcastle (Source)
Years later, he decides to travel, and I started to wonder what’s true and what might be delirium: if it’s one story or two. The title had set expectations of Venice and masks, but the key to the story is very different, and is casually foreshadowed in the early pages.
Overall, I was slightly disappointed - more in the telling than the idea. I didn’t really engage with the characters, and the ending was somewhat rushed and muddled, rather than being either pleasingly vague or helpfully detailed.
See also
• Casares’ novella, The Invention of Morel, has similarities of mood and twist, but is much better. I reviewed it HERE.
• Various novels and short stories by John Wyndham.
Short story club
I read this in Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature, by Alberto Manguel, from which I’m reading one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 4 September 2023.
You can read this story… Sorry, I can’t find a legitimate online version in English.
You can join the group here.
There is a detached unreality to this that escalates from the relatively prosaic start to a frantic search amid the teeming streets of Venice during carnival.
The narrator is a journalist in Buenos Aires who develops a chronic illness that may or may not be curable and may or may not be psychosomatic. He splits from his girlfriend, Daniela, a brilliant biologist, rather than be a burden to her. Both are devastated. She continues her career, and he becomes a recluse: life is empty without her, and he feels shame about his illness. But he wants to recover:
“The unflinching goal of rebuilding the crumbled sandcastle of my health.”
Image: A crumbling sandcastle (Source)
Years later, he decides to travel, and I started to wonder what’s true and what might be delirium: if it’s one story or two. The title had set expectations of Venice and masks, but the key to the story is very different, and is casually foreshadowed in the early pages.
Overall, I was slightly disappointed - more in the telling than the idea. I didn’t really engage with the characters, and the ending was somewhat rushed and muddled, rather than being either pleasingly vague or helpfully detailed.
See also
• Casares’ novella, The Invention of Morel, has similarities of mood and twist, but is much better. I reviewed it HERE.
• Various novels and short stories by John Wyndham.
Short story club
I read this in Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature, by Alberto Manguel, from which I’m reading one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 4 September 2023.
You can read this story… Sorry, I can’t find a legitimate online version in English.
You can join the group here.
October 7, 2023
"Venetian Masks" from the "Black Water" anthology.
After the narrator finds he has a serious chronic illness, he leaves Daniela, the woman he loves. He didn't want to burden her with caring for an invalid. Years later, he's still in love with Daniela who has been working on cutting-edge biological experiments. He travels from Buenos Aires to Europe on vacation, and finds Daniela in Venice. It's Carnival when the women dress in beautiful costumes and wear elaborate masks.
The story ends on a science fiction note which I enjoyed. However, I could not feel an emotional connection with either the insecure narrator or the beautiful, talented Daniela.
After the narrator finds he has a serious chronic illness, he leaves Daniela, the woman he loves. He didn't want to burden her with caring for an invalid. Years later, he's still in love with Daniela who has been working on cutting-edge biological experiments. He travels from Buenos Aires to Europe on vacation, and finds Daniela in Venice. It's Carnival when the women dress in beautiful costumes and wear elaborate masks.
The story ends on a science fiction note which I enjoyed. However, I could not feel an emotional connection with either the insecure narrator or the beautiful, talented Daniela.
September 9, 2023
My least favorite story so far this season. This is a love story characterized as psychosomatic collapse. Equal parts Freud and genetic splicing -- the story leads into sci fi territory during an opera in Venice. I admire the pluck behind this specific tableau.
I will reread this before the formal group discussion but unlike, say, Alphaville, this assemblage of disparate elements didn't quite work for me.
I will reread this before the formal group discussion but unlike, say, Alphaville, this assemblage of disparate elements didn't quite work for me.
December 26, 2021
This has a surreal David Lynch quality and feels like it has layers of meaning. I understood the words and the stories but there was too much going on here for me to really claim that I got these at the philosophical level; so I can’t add anything that isn't in other reviews or on Wikipedia. I read 'The Invention of Morel' by Bioy Casares a couple of years ago and loved it, and felt like I really got it. That's why I tried these. But there's just too much weird shit compressed into them for me to make sense of it all. I might read them in English. This hasn't happened to me since I gave up on the Spanish version of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' 70 percent in, seven or eight years ago. In that case having like 10 characters with the same name is just bewildering in a second language. In terms of 'La Sierva Ajena', though, I suppose I could have paid closer attention. I'm actually writing this on my phone as I wait in line for hours to cross back over the border after a day trip to Tijuana. The dude behind me is smacking his chewing gum and it's driving me fucking crazy. Oh ... oh no ... now he's started to whistle.
Here's a great line: “Life is not dramatic, but there are dramatic people who we should avoid.” — “La vida no es dramática, pero hay personas dramáticas, que debemos evitar.”
Here's a great line: “Life is not dramatic, but there are dramatic people who we should avoid.” — “La vida no es dramática, pero hay personas dramáticas, que debemos evitar.”
Read
April 14, 2022Máscaras venecianas: 3/5 - Me ha gustado el final.
La sierva ajena: 2/5 - Me ha dejado indiferente.
La sierva ajena: 2/5 - Me ha dejado indiferente.
October 14, 2023
I enjoyed this short story by the author of The Invention of Morel and close friend of Jorge Luis Borges. The story leaves several unanswered questions to ponder, and my comments from a group-read discussion are below and include spoilers.
October 16, 2023
Venetian Masks: a series of horrible explanations
There is an illness here, a debilitating fever, linked to romantic attachment. Being in love is an affliction, a kind of incurable illness; the symptoms may be treated but one never really recovers.
This short story ("Venetian Masks" in English) is my introduction to this Argentinian writer. Buenos Aires is the main setting. The text entertains the brief possibility of a trip to Montevideo; it is always thrilling to almost go to Uruguay.
What to make of this fantastical story? Love can neither be avoided or remedied. Once you love someone you see them everywhere. Loneliness and routine are not obstacles to happiness; numbness helps.
There is an illness here, a debilitating fever, linked to romantic attachment. Being in love is an affliction, a kind of incurable illness; the symptoms may be treated but one never really recovers.
This short story ("Venetian Masks" in English) is my introduction to this Argentinian writer. Buenos Aires is the main setting. The text entertains the brief possibility of a trip to Montevideo; it is always thrilling to almost go to Uruguay.
What to make of this fantastical story? Love can neither be avoided or remedied. Once you love someone you see them everywhere. Loneliness and routine are not obstacles to happiness; numbness helps.
January 18, 2025
muito se fala em borges, mas o bioy casares muito mestre também
October 4, 2025
Excellent!
This was excellent, I need to review it, later.
RTC.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1986] [20p] [Fiction] [4.5] [Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ The Invention of Morel [4.5]
★★★☆☆ Historias desaforadas [2.5] <--
★★☆☆☆ Breve diccionario del argentino exquisito [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ El lado de la sombra [1.5]
-----------------------------------------------
¡Excelente!
Esto fue excelente, necesito reseñarlo, más tarde.
RTC.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1986] [20p] [Ficción] [4.5] [Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
This was excellent, I need to review it, later.
RTC.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1986] [20p] [Fiction] [4.5] [Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ The Invention of Morel [4.5]
★★★☆☆ Historias desaforadas [2.5] <--
★★☆☆☆ Breve diccionario del argentino exquisito [2.5]
★★☆☆☆ El lado de la sombra [1.5]
-----------------------------------------------
¡Excelente!
Esto fue excelente, necesito reseñarlo, más tarde.
RTC.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1986] [20p] [Ficción] [4.5] [Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------
January 6, 2022
《 Después encontré a Daniela y supe que no debía buscar más, que se me había dado todo》
◇ Máscaras venecianas es un relato del libro Historias Desaforadas. En esta ocasión Alianza Cien la incluyó en esta compilación de 2 cuentos.
♧ Bioy tiene una manera extraordinaria de plantearnos ideas futuristas ( tomando en cuenta la publicación del libro) pues en este cuento nos menciona el poder clonarnos.
♧Nuestro protagonista después de andar sin rumbo en relaciones conoce a Daniela y su vida sin ella no es imaginable. Sin embargo una enfermedad complicó la relación y por no ser un pesi para Daniela deciden separarse.
♧ La historia se va tornando casi en un triángulo amoroso , hasta que conocemos la verdad. LA EXISTECIA DE UN CLON .
♧ Daniela había desarrollado apartir de una célula de ella un clon , acelerando el crecimiento con tal intensidad que en cuestión de años ha era toda una mujer. Pero las características físicas eran idénticas , no así la esencia y personalidad de la auténtica Daniela.
♧ Me encanta la propuesta de Bioy, y de como pudo incluir tales teorías sobre la clonacion humana, en un cuento breve sin caer en lo absurdo.
◇ Máscaras venecianas es un relato del libro Historias Desaforadas. En esta ocasión Alianza Cien la incluyó en esta compilación de 2 cuentos.
♧ Bioy tiene una manera extraordinaria de plantearnos ideas futuristas ( tomando en cuenta la publicación del libro) pues en este cuento nos menciona el poder clonarnos.
♧Nuestro protagonista después de andar sin rumbo en relaciones conoce a Daniela y su vida sin ella no es imaginable. Sin embargo una enfermedad complicó la relación y por no ser un pesi para Daniela deciden separarse.
♧ La historia se va tornando casi en un triángulo amoroso , hasta que conocemos la verdad. LA EXISTECIA DE UN CLON .
♧ Daniela había desarrollado apartir de una célula de ella un clon , acelerando el crecimiento con tal intensidad que en cuestión de años ha era toda una mujer. Pero las características físicas eran idénticas , no así la esencia y personalidad de la auténtica Daniela.
♧ Me encanta la propuesta de Bioy, y de como pudo incluir tales teorías sobre la clonacion humana, en un cuento breve sin caer en lo absurdo.
September 9, 2018
“Esperar no me bastó; imaginé. Soñaba con nuestra reunión. Como un exigente director de cine, repetía la escena hasta el cansancio, para que fuera más triunfal y conmovedora. Muchos opinan que la inteligencia es un estorbo para la felicidad. El verdadero estorbo es la imaginación.”
Qué placeres puede degustar uno en un librito tan breve. Sabedor, o suspicaz, de lo que aquí iba a encontrar, me lancé a ello con la consistente seguridad de que en un tiempo pasado fui un imbécil: algunos relatos de Bioy Casares están a la altura de los de Borges, y a veces, no pocas, despuntan.
Bioy convierte en un muy buen relato, poco más puede hacerse, “Máscaras venecianas”, cuya idea y ambientación hubieran sido inanes en manos infortunadas. En “La sierva ajena” todo, repito, todo, me parece perfecto. La introducción, el misterio, el humor, los desenlaces. La mala baba, las referencias, los homenajes, la novedad. Lo que tiene de universal y lo que gasta de porteño. Un relato que es un disfrute y es un curso de orientación a la escritura. Un regocijo absoluto.
Qué placeres puede degustar uno en un librito tan breve. Sabedor, o suspicaz, de lo que aquí iba a encontrar, me lancé a ello con la consistente seguridad de que en un tiempo pasado fui un imbécil: algunos relatos de Bioy Casares están a la altura de los de Borges, y a veces, no pocas, despuntan.
Bioy convierte en un muy buen relato, poco más puede hacerse, “Máscaras venecianas”, cuya idea y ambientación hubieran sido inanes en manos infortunadas. En “La sierva ajena” todo, repito, todo, me parece perfecto. La introducción, el misterio, el humor, los desenlaces. La mala baba, las referencias, los homenajes, la novedad. Lo que tiene de universal y lo que gasta de porteño. Un relato que es un disfrute y es un curso de orientación a la escritura. Un regocijo absoluto.
December 31, 2023
Máscaras Venecianas
Adolfo Bioy Casares
Read with the Short Story Club https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Week starting 9th Oct. 2023. - Story 6
from Black Water 1 (The Anthology of Fantastic Literature)
Read in Spanish
Adolfo Bioy Casares
Read with the Short Story Club https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Week starting 9th Oct. 2023. - Story 6
from Black Water 1 (The Anthology of Fantastic Literature)
Read in Spanish
December 19, 2018
Cinco estrellas se me hace poco.
October 13, 2023
Then I found Daniela and I knew that I should not look any further, that everything had been given to me.
It begins with the protagonist finding exactly what he is looking for after many failed relationships, but when he finds out that he has a potentially terminal illness, he decides to end the relationship for her sake. What follows is a strange tale which leads him to journey to Venice to be confronted by the need to look further into the question of that initial feeling’s authenticity. Not quite sure why but I liked the way the story began with a ‘certainty’ and ended by questioning that belief. Stories that leave you thinking are few and far between and this was one of them. Yet another story I will revisit from time to time.
Read with the short story club
It begins with the protagonist finding exactly what he is looking for after many failed relationships, but when he finds out that he has a potentially terminal illness, he decides to end the relationship for her sake. What follows is a strange tale which leads him to journey to Venice to be confronted by the need to look further into the question of that initial feeling’s authenticity. Not quite sure why but I liked the way the story began with a ‘certainty’ and ended by questioning that belief. Stories that leave you thinking are few and far between and this was one of them. Yet another story I will revisit from time to time.
Read with the short story club
April 11, 2019
Le hubiese dado cinco estrellas al primer relato y tres al segundo, así que se quedará en cuatro. Me sorprendió más el desenlace y el desarrollo zwl primer relato. Magistral.
El segundo está bien, pero no me gustó tanto.
El segundo está bien, pero no me gustó tanto.
January 12, 2026
Máscaras muy bien, La sierva ajena bastante mal, parece que el escritor no hace más que querer demostrar lo listo que es, además de haber bastante machismo en general y no haber traspasado bien su época.
April 3, 2018
Libro muy corto, con dos cuentos bien escritos. Me gustó más el de “Máscaras venecianas”.
August 8, 2019
Para leerlo en el metro. No merece otro lugar.
June 14, 2022
son por mascaras venecianas.
July 20, 2022
Leer a Bioy es un lujo.
February 7, 2025
Cuentos muy buenos con un final interesante, pero comienzos lentos y confusos. Una lectura rápida y agradable llena de romance.
September 25, 2025
Un triste intento de surrealismo. Lo único surreal es lo malo que son estos cuentos.
November 12, 2025
adolfo bioy casares dolar faso y escabio
January 13, 2026
*Libro 3 del 2026*
Dos relatos. Me gustó el primero (por eso el puntaje) . El segundo relato no le encontré sentido. No mucho más para decir 😅
Dos relatos. Me gustó el primero (por eso el puntaje) . El segundo relato no le encontré sentido. No mucho más para decir 😅
October 22, 2023
A compelling story with a strong allegorical core . I read it as political but it could be e Freudian .
October 26, 2023
I imagine this to be a masked story, but it is beyond me to unravel it at this time
February 4, 2017
De los dos relatos que hay incluidos en el libro, sin duda el que más he disfrutado es el de "Máscaras venecianas". Es una lectura bastante ágil y al protagonista, se le coge cierto cariño por todo lo que le va sucediendo.
"La sierva ajena", en cambio, no ha sido exactamente de mi gusto hasta que no estaba llegando por su final. Me ha dejado un sabor agridulce, ya que podrían haberse hilachado muchas más situaciones y no se han aprovechado bien las ideas.
"La sierva ajena", en cambio, no ha sido exactamente de mi gusto hasta que no estaba llegando por su final. Me ha dejado un sabor agridulce, ya que podrían haberse hilachado muchas más situaciones y no se han aprovechado bien las ideas.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews