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Jorge Luis Borges, Andrew Hurley: Collected Fictions (1999) 5 stars

Review of 'Collected Fictions' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

What was Borges? First and foremost, an author, but what other title shall we crown him with? Philosopher? Theologian? Anthropologist? Mystic? Lunatic? No doubt, whichever one we decide on, it will belie. My friends, do not be mistaken, Borges was far greater than any of the aforementioned titles would suggest, as he was no less but the lover of infinity, poet of the impossible, dreamer of language, and a dutiful explorer of the soul - both of every living being and the universe itself. His genius cannot be questioned, yet not all of his works are alike. Although each and every one of the works is written in a style that can only be described as methodical and imaginative, the tales range from dreadfully dull to nearly managing to caress the transcendental. Curiously enough, I looked around, and it would seem that virtually all of the great tales of Borges can be found in a much smaller collection named Labyrinths.

A list of those great tales:

Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
The Library of Babel
The Garden of Forking Paths
The Theme of the Traitor and the Hero
Three Versions of Judas
The Immortal
The Theologians
Deutsches Requiem
The Writing of the God
Toenails
Mutations
Brodie's Report
The Other