A review by angelayoung
Borges and Me by Jay Parini
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A friend gave me this book, I doubt I'd ever have found it if she hadn't and I was intrigued by it. The true story of a young American poet (Parini) escorting an ageing, blind Argentinian (Borges) on a short trip through the Scottish highlands is funny, poignant, exasperating (to Parini) and enlightening to both of them. The images of the great Borges with his labyrinthine library of a mind and his extraordinary memory for words juxtaposed with Parini's attempts to keep his volatile charge out of lochs, roads and safe - while learning at the speed of light about poetry - he's an aspiring poet - and poets, is captivating. A quote to intruige you too (I hope):
'Nessie [the loch ness monster] is a myth,' I said.
'Mythos, in Greek,' said Borges, 'is not a story that is false, it's a story that is more than true. Myth is a tear in the fabric of reality, and immense energies pour through these holy fissures. Our stories, our poems, are rips in this fabric as well, however slight. Think of Beowulf. The protoype for Nessie lies there, in the figure of Grendel, a fallen angel. Envious of the light, he lived with his difficult mother in a cave. You and I have lived in this cave as well, with our difficult and exacting mothers. We bear the marks of our captivity, but we survive.'
'I hardly feel like I'm surviving,' I said.
A few pages later, bellowing Grendel's story while standing up in a small rowing boat on Loch Ness, Borges falls onto Parini (who's rowing) and in his attempts to save Borges, Parini capsizes the boat and they're both thrown into the water ... . It's funny and frightening (will they survive?) and a perfect metaphor for their rocky relationship. It's a great read, I recommend it.
'Nessie [the loch ness monster] is a myth,' I said.
'Mythos, in Greek,' said Borges, 'is not a story that is false, it's a story that is more than true. Myth is a tear in the fabric of reality, and immense energies pour through these holy fissures. Our stories, our poems, are rips in this fabric as well, however slight. Think of Beowulf. The protoype for Nessie lies there, in the figure of Grendel, a fallen angel. Envious of the light, he lived with his difficult mother in a cave. You and I have lived in this cave as well, with our difficult and exacting mothers. We bear the marks of our captivity, but we survive.'
'I hardly feel like I'm surviving,' I said.
A few pages later, bellowing Grendel's story while standing up in a small rowing boat on Loch Ness, Borges falls onto Parini (who's rowing) and in his attempts to save Borges, Parini capsizes the boat and they're both thrown into the water ... . It's funny and frightening (will they survive?) and a perfect metaphor for their rocky relationship. It's a great read, I recommend it.