El Aleph / The Aleph

El Aleph / The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges, published by National Geographic Books on September 4, 2012, is a significant collection of short stories originally released in 1949. This edition, Primera edición Vintage Español, spans 224 pages and is presented in Spanish. The work showcases Borges’s remarkable ability to weave intricate narratives that explore profound themes through fantastical elements, inviting readers into a world where time and space converge in unexpected ways.
Within this collection, readers will encounter eighteen unique stories, including the titular “El Aleph,” which presents a mesmerizing point in space that encapsulates all other spaces. Other notable tales, such as “El Zahir” and “El Inmortal,” delve into obsessions and the complexities of immortality, respectively. Borges’s narratives are rich with philosophical inquiries and magical realism, reflecting his status as a pivotal figure in 20th-century literature. This edition serves as a vital contribution to the understanding of Borges’s literary legacy and the broader landscape of literary fiction.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Uno de los artistas contemporáneos más memorables… La deuda que tenemos contraída con él quienes escribimos en español es enorme”. —Mario Vargas Llosa
Considerado uno de los escritores más influyentes del siglo XX en cualquier idioma, la obra de Jorge Luis Borges continúa inspirando a nuevas generaciones de lectores gracias al deslumbrante poder de sus imágenes y la inmensa profundidad de sus temas.
Originalmente publicada en 1949, esta colección reúne dieciocho relatos entre los que se encuentra algunos de los más admirados cuentos de la literatura: “El Aleph”, la clásica historia de una resplandeciente esfera en la que confluyen de un modo asombroso todos los tiempos y todos los espacios en el universo; “El Zahir”, una fascinante reflexión sobre la obsesión, Borges narra la historia de un objeto que inspira la fascinación inmediata de todos aquellos que lo ven hasta consumir su atención y realidad completa; y “El Inmortal”, un inquietante viaje a través de la Ciudad de los Inmortales, un laberíntico mundo en el que todo, incluso los edificios y las escaleras, aparece caóticamente irregular o invertido.
Juntos, estos dieciocho relatos, cada uno singularmente original y complejo a su manera, representan una pieza clave en el museo de la obra del maestro argentino, así como en los anales de la literatura universal.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
Full of philosophical puzzles and supernatural surprises, these stories contain some of Borges’s most fully realized human characters. With uncanny insight he takes us inside the minds of an unrepentant Nazi, an imprisoned Mayan priest, fanatical Christian theologians, a woman plotting vengeance on her father’s “killer,” and a man awaiting his assassin in a Buenos Aires guest house.
The Aleph, describes a point in space that contains all other spaces at once. The work also presents the idea of infinite time. Borges writes in the original afterword, dated May 3, 1949 (Buenos Aires), that most of the stories belong to the genre of fantasy, mentioning themes such as identity and immortality. Borges added four new stories to the collection in the 1952 edition, for which he provided a brief postscript to the afterword.
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