Jorge Francisco Luis Borges

Jorge Francisco Luis Borges was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet, philosopher and translator, and a significant figure in the Spanish language literature. His work clinches the character of unreality in all literature that he has produced, which include collection of short stories and poems. He was born in the year 1899, August 24, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He died on June 14, 1986, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Borges was one of the most projecting Latin American writers who, contrary to his contemporaries, were mainly concerned with the never ending questions of existence, parting political and social issues separately. He was most known for his poetry, but he also wrote essays and short stories. His short stories can be regarded as essays, or essays which have turned into fiction. He has achieved a great number of followers as his works encompassed modernism, political philosophy, philosophical study on reality and infiniteness, skepticism and existential philosophy.

Modernism had deeply influenced Borges. He was deep-rooted in the Modernism predominant in its early years and was influenced by Symbolism at large. He developed a great interest in his native culture with broader standpoints. With the background of his philosophical ideas, which could encourage multilingualism, he propounded his theories based on modernism. Unlike many other writers in his time, Borges continued a miniaturist. His work progressed away from what he referred to as ‘the decorative.’ Borges’ later elegance is far clearer, in comparison with his earlier works. Borges represented the humanist view of media that worried the social aspect of art enthused by emotion. If art represented the tool, then Borges was more interested in how the tool could be used to relate to people. Thus in simple words one can say that Borges was humanitarian with an aspect of modernism deep within.

Existentialism and its philosophical deviations had deeply influenced Borges. Existentialism as a philosophical concept or ideology developed by Soren Kierkegaard and Fredric Nietzsche explained their human struggle for existence, and existence in its fullness. This conflict of knowing one’s own existence and existential reality is seen in all his works in one form or the other. 

As a political conformist, Borges was revolted by Marxism in theory and practice. He has explained the Marxian ideology of power and discourse in most of his works. He was very particular about writing when it comes to revolution and peoples forward march. Doubtless to say, it was deeply rooted in Marxian perspective.  

"The Aleph" is a collection of short stories written by Borges. With a concise, occasionally short style, in an ironic and pessimist attitude, he deals with philosophical questions, history, time, personal identity, human ethics, and the mystical experience of the Oneness in his collection of short story. Borges had a metaphysical standpoint of reality and his fictional universe is absorbed in secret concepts and theological speculations on Gnosticism. Gnosticism is the philosophical concept which says that matter is evil. They hold the idea that knowledge should be present in a man rather than matter in order to make him or her human and fully human. He has used this idea throughout this collection.

The Aleph which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is considered as the mystical letter through which it is possible to see the whole universe. So, it refers infinity, which is an inseparable part of Borges writings. Borges integrates this notion in his fixation to find the ultimate solution of life. According to Borges, the purpose of one’s life has no meaning, what is important is the ethical and intellectual character; reality is seen as ideas which persist while they are superficial, time has no beginning and is not infinite. In this unconceivable world, the self must be quenched in order to realize revelation.

To understand Borges is a difficult task as he uses number of philosophical technics at the same time in the same work. It requires rereading and interpretation, it requires an internalization of his philosophical perceptions which inconsistently means the unfeasibility of understanding.