[Glenn Wright]

Hi, Orwn—I like “So life escapes me” as a way of finessing “Así mi vida es una fuga” in the the next-to-last sentence. A rather relativistic solution making the life the one in motion instead of the speaker. Thanks for weighing in.

I was looking into the publication history of the piece and wandered into a bibliographic labyrinth—appropriate metaphor for Borges. “Borges y yo” was first published in 1960 in a collection of stories and poems called El Hacedor, retitled Dreamtigers in the first English translation. It was reprinted in 1962 in Labyrinths, a collection of 23 stories, 10 essays, and 8 “parables.” It was put in the Parable section, suggesting, perhaps, an allegorical intent. This collection was written in Spanish, but the English translation by Yates and Irby appeared first—hence its English title.

Labyrinths and the myth of the Minotaur are a recurring symbol in Borges’ work, and vestiges of them appear in “Borges y yo.” The speaker wanders the streets of Buenos Aires, stopping to examine entryways and doors. He likes maps, etymologies with complex branching diagrams , and eighteenth century typography with curlicues and serifs. Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is about a doppelgänger, or a monster like the Minotaur who haunts the maze of Soho’s streets. In the phrase, “estoy destinado a perderme,” we feel the speaker getting lost in a maze. The speaker foresees his own destruction, suggesting that he is the Minotaur. He allows himself to live “para que Borges puede tramar su literatura.” The verb tramar means to hatch, contrive, engineer, or figure out, suggesting that the other one is Daedalus (or Theseus?). I think labyrinths in Borges represent literature and the creative imagination, but they contain danger and one can get lost in them, or lose oneself. Considering Borges’ blindness, I think labyrinths and mazes would have a special resonance for him. A blind person in a maze could use his sense of touch almost as efficiently as a sighted person could use vision, perhaps more efficiently.

Borges also uses references to tigers, jaguars, and other large cats to suggest this danger. A tiger is mentioned in “Borges y yo.”

Thanks to you, too, Rick for the tip on Stevenson’s essays.
Glenn