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Lizzy's Reviews > Fictions

Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges
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it was amazing
bookshelves: classics-literay-fiction, short-stories, stars-5, favorites-of-all-times, read-years-ago

“Blind to all fault, destiny can be ruthless at one's slightest distraction.�
Reading Jorge Luis Borges is a bewildering experience and a challenge all in one. There is no logically understanding the mazes Borges creates, but that is what fantastical-realism is all about. Ficciones is a labyrinth, beautiful and witty, of ideas and feelings that mock and conquers the reader.

Borges can speak for himself, who am I to explain his brilliance and imagination?
“When it was proclaimed that the Library contained all books, the first impression was one of extravagant happiness. All men felt themselves to be the masters of an intact and secret treasure. There was no personal or world problem whose eloquent solution did not exist in some hexagon. The universe was justified, the universe suddenly usurped the unlimited dimensions of hope. At that time a great deal was said about the Vindications: books of apology and prophecy which vindicated for all time the acts of every man in the universe and retained prodigious arcana for his future. Thousands of the greedy abandoned their sweet native hexagons and rushed up the stairways, urged on by the vain intention of finding their Vindication. These pilgrims disputed in the narrow corridors, proffered dark curses, strangled each other on the divine stairways, flung the deceptive books into the air shafts, met their death cast down in a similar fashion by the inhabitants of remote regions. Others went mad ... The Vindications exist (I have seen two which refer to persons of the future, to persons who are perhaps not imaginary) but the searchers did not remember that the possibility of a man's finding his Vindication, or some treacherous variation thereof, can be computed as zero.�
A masterpiece, not to be missed!
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Reading Progress

November 27, 2015 – Shelved as: to-read
November 27, 2015 – Shelved
November 27, 2015 – Shelved as: classics-literay-fiction
November 27, 2015 – Shelved as: short-stories
May 4, 2016 – Shelved as: stars-5
May 4, 2016 – Shelved as: favorites-of-all-times
Started Reading
May 5, 2016 – Finished Reading
December 13, 2016 – Shelved as: read-years-ago

Comments Showing 1-15 of 15 (15 new)

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message 1: by withdrawn (new)

withdrawn Was he not foreseeing the internet? Surely our Vindication is to be found there.


Cecily Borges blows your mind, doesn't he?

And yes, RK, I think an infinite library has strong echoes of the internet.

You might want to explore this:



Lizzy Great way to look at it, RK-ique! I like it. L.


message 4: by Glenn (new)

Glenn Russell You have to love stories like The Garden of Forking Paths!


Lizzy Couldn't agree with you more, Glenn!


message 6: by Gaurav (new) - added it

Gaurav Nice one, as you quite appropriately mentioned-Reading Borges is bewildering experience.


Lizzy Thanks, Gaurav!


message 8: by Seemita (new) - added it

Seemita Thank you, Lizzy! You bring my memories of reading Borges flushing like an avalanche and I ache to read one of his works right away. Alas! The longing has to wait but till then, that stupendous excerpt would do. He reduces our words to mere smoke, right? :)


Lizzy Seemita wrote: "Thank you, Lizzy! You bring my memories of reading Borges flushing like an avalanche and I ache to read one of his works right away. Alas! The longing has to wait but till then, that stupendous exc..."

You put it so beautifully, Seemita: He reduces our words to me mere smoke! I am always ready to go back to Borges, a pity (or luck?) I have so many other great books, yet unkown, to read . Thanks. L.


Steve I was just thinking about Borges and his infinite libraries and labyrinths just a few days ago, and now I stumble on to your excellent review of this classic.


Lizzy Steve wrote: "I was just thinking about Borges and his infinite libraries and labyrinths just a few days ago, and now I stumble on to your excellent review of this classic."

Isn't it wonderful, Steve, how Borges takes us through this amazing exploration of the world of books? Thanks for your kind words. L.


Dolors Glad you found your way in Borges' labyrinthine stories, Lizzy!


Lizzy Dolors wrote: "Glad you found your way in Borges' labyrinthine stories, Lizzy!"

Oh, Dolors, I'm simply mesmerized by Borges. L.


Sidharth Vardhan This is one of the best short story collections.


Lizzy Sidharth wrote: "This is one of the best short story collections."

Couldn't agree more with you, Sid!


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