El Aleph

Borges: the infinite author.

"The most important Spanish-language writer since Cervantes. [...] One of the most memorable contemporary artists. [...] The debt that those of us who write in Spanish owe him is enormous."

Mario Vargas Llosa

The Aleph is an iconic book by Jorge Luis Borges, the great Argentinian author admired by García Márquez, Vargas Llosa, Banville, and many other contemporary writers. The stories that comprise it are a marvel of philosophical puzzles, fantastic or detective intrigues, and characters that stick in one's memory, like Emma Zunz.

"The Immortal" explores the effect that immortality would have on men; "The Theologians" is a melancholic dream about personal identity; "The Other Death," a fantasy about time; "The Aleph," first published in 1945 and which gave its name to the book in 1949, is one of the best short stories of all time and addresses one of the recurring themes in Borges's literature: infinity. It can also be read as a love story with a memorable beginning: "On the burning February morning when Beatriz Viterbo died, after an imperious agony that did not abate for a single instant, neither in sentimentality nor in fear, I noticed that the iron billboards in Plaza Constitución had renewed some advertisement for blonde cigarettes; the fact pained me, for I understood that the incessant and vast universe was already separating from her and that this change was the first in an infinite series."

Reviews:
"Don't quote it: read it. [...] It is urgent not just to read or reread it, but, as Bolaño suggested, 'reread it again'."
Gonzalo Núñez, La Razón

"It is unique. It reaches the pinnacle of universal literature, [...] and it does so with its stories, authentic miniature jewels."
Carlos Asenjo Sedano, Ideal de Granada

"One of the most extraordinary writers of the 20th century."
The New York Times

"The most influential Latin American writer of the 20th century."
The Washington Post

"Along with a small retinue of colleagues and prophets (Kafka and Joyce come to mind), Borges is more than a surprising storyteller and a brilliant stylist: he is a mirror that reflects the spirit of his time."
Chicago Tribune

"Borges, a skeptical visionary, enchants us. [...] He has fulfilled a fundamental yearning in relation to the reasons why we read."
Harold Bloom, How to Read Jorge Luis Borges

"Borges is the most important Spanish-language writer since Cervantes. [...] One of the most memorable contemporary artists. [...] The debt that those of us who write in Spanish owe him is enormous."
Mario Vargas Llosa

"Borges's stories are unique. Science fiction fantasies and philosophical utopias distilled into about ten pages, advancing like a police investigation within a library. Along with Ficciones, The Aleph is one of his most celebrated collections. Kings, Nazis, minotaurs, and the famous story that gives the collection its title wander through these pages where reality unfolds and other worlds are born."
Alberto Hernando, Esquire