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Collected Fictions

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Unabridged CDs, 5 CDs, 5 hours
Read by George Guidall
"An unparalleled treasury of marvels...Along with a tiny cohort of peers, and seers (Kafka and Joyce come to mind), Borges is more than a stunning storyteller and a brilliant stylist; he's a mirror who reflects the spirit of his time."
-Melvin Jules Bukiet, Chicago Tribune
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from August 31, 1998
      Undeniably one of the most influential writers to emerge in this century from Latin America or anywhere else, Borges (1899-1986) is best known for his short stories, all of which appear here for the first time in one volume, translated and annotated by University of Puerto Rico professor Hurley. Many of the stories return to the same set of images and themes that mark Borges's best known work: the code of ethics embraced by gauchos, knifefighters and outlaws; labyrinths; confrontations with one's doppelganger; and discoveries of artifacts from other worlds (an encyclopedia of a mysterious region in Iraq; a strange disc that has only one side and that gives a king his power; a menacing book that infinitely multiplies its own pages; fragmentary manuscripts that narrate otherworldly accounts of lands of the immortals). Less familiar are episodes that narrate the violent, sordid careers of pirates and outlaws like Billy the Kid (particularly in the early collection A Universal History of Iniquity) or attempts to dramatize the consciousness of Shakespeare or Homer. Elusive, erudite, melancholic, Borges's fiction will intrigue the general reader as well as the scholar. This is the first in a series of three new translations (including the Collected Poems and Collected Nonfictions, all timed to coincide with the centennial of the author's birth), which will offer an alternative to the extensive but very controversial collaborations between Borges and Norman Thomas di Giovanni. First serial rights to the New Yorker, the New York Review of Books and Grand Street.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This collection, featuring a master storyteller, a diverse mix of tales, and a skilled narrator, makes for an interesting audio experience for the devoted listener. The reliable George Guidall offers varied voices to suit each story's cast, and he seems genuinely absorbed by the works, as indicated by his enthusiastic delivery. The recording itself retains a tinny quality, not unlike the audiobooks of yesteryear, and this can make for fatiguing listening. Also, Borges's subtlety and dreamlike prose can get lost between the page and the ear, making the listener long to slow Guidall down and ask him to repeat certain lines. Fans of Borges will embrace this recording; newcomers may do better to begin with the printed text. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Borges is considered by many to be one of the most important fiction writers of the twentieth century, a very intellectual writer and thinker. Narrator Castulo Guerra, however, finds in these stories considerable depths of emotion and humanity, and delivers them to listeners. The world of Borges's fiction is varied and strange, drawing on science fiction, folklore, philosophy, and more, but immersing oneself in this audiobook makes many of the themes and connections clear. Guerra's English is excellent, with just enough of an Argentine accent to remind listeners where most of the stories are set. A detailed knowledge of Latin American history would be rewarded but is not necessary; an openness to new ways of seeing the world is more useful. D.M.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

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Languages

  • English

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