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JORGE LUIS BORGES by Adrian Lennon

JORGE LUIS BORGES

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Pub Date: Dec. 13th, 1991
Publisher: Chelsea House

A biography of the prize-winning Argentinian short-story writer and poet (1899-1986). Lennon, also author of a biography of Hernán CortÉs, brings a long familiarity with both the Spanish language and the work of Borges to his detailed account. The opening chapter summarizes Borges's high reputation today as an innovator who explored philosophical themes like the search for meaning in a possibly meaningless world and the feeling of being lost in the universe. Born into a wealthy and literary family, Borges spent most of his teenage years as a student in Geneva, returning to Argentina, already a dedicated writer, in 1921. Two chapters trace his unsuccessful struggle to stay out of politics in the 30's and 40's; the last two chapters describe his return to political favor with the fall of Perón in 1955, his eventual blindness, and his years as a famous writer and world traveler. Lennon's well-researched life may lead mature readers to Borges's books, or perhaps even to embark on a similar literary quest. Frequent b&w photos; chronology; bibliography; index.