A review by ostrava
A Universal History of Iniquity by Jorge Luis Borges
4.0
I used to read Borges on repeat as a teenager. I was obsessed with him. Now that I'm on my twenties, traversing through a new phase in my life, it was a matter of time before I decided to reread him, maybe this time in completion, from the first short story to the last.
This collection was fine, though far from the quality I used to remember. Borges is right in admitting his influence by Stevenson and that sort of "fun literature" (with a pretense to strive towards the latter at times). And though his trashing of the book at the preface is hilarious it's also a bit too harsh, this is the Ivan's Childhood of Borges, and all things considered, a solid anthology, even if a bit spotty and lacking in the author's otherwise noticeable strength of vision (luckily, it picks up towards the end). That said, there's just something tastefully ironic in all of its pages, something which points directly at the big picture with no conclusions other than recognition. And I guess recognition is what all characters in this book where after, though its price was too high, and when compared to that dark and empty non-sensical paradox that is the big picture, also, wasteful.
Our history feels like a compilation of dark trivia in the larger scheme of things, hardly anything more than a universal footnote of bad things happening to all kinds of people. May as well sit back and enjoy ourselves in the light while we can.
This collection was fine, though far from the quality I used to remember. Borges is right in admitting his influence by Stevenson and that sort of "fun literature" (with a pretense to strive towards the latter at times). And though his trashing of the book at the preface is hilarious it's also a bit too harsh, this is the Ivan's Childhood of Borges, and all things considered, a solid anthology, even if a bit spotty and lacking in the author's otherwise noticeable strength of vision (luckily, it picks up towards the end). That said, there's just something tastefully ironic in all of its pages, something which points directly at the big picture with no conclusions other than recognition. And I guess recognition is what all characters in this book where after, though its price was too high, and when compared to that dark and empty non-sensical paradox that is the big picture, also, wasteful.
Our history feels like a compilation of dark trivia in the larger scheme of things, hardly anything more than a universal footnote of bad things happening to all kinds of people. May as well sit back and enjoy ourselves in the light while we can.