Borges Audio – Commentary
- At August 14, 2019
- By Great Quail
- In Borges
- 0
Borges Audio: Audio Commentary
This section profiles Borges audiobooks and YouTube clips that are about Borges, or make extensive mention of Borges. The entries are listed in chronological order.
Old Patagonian Express
The Old Patagonian Express
By Paul Theroux.
Narrated by Michael Pritchard.
Length: 16 hours and 43 minutes.
1. Books on Tape, 1986, Catalog #1871, Twelve 90-minute cassettes.
2. Whole Story Audiobooks, 2017, Digital audiobook.
Paul Theroux’s 1979 travelogue contains an anecdote of meeting Borges in Argentina. According to the Books on Tape Web site:
In The Old Patagonian Express, Theroux rides the more or less continuous track from his home in Boston to the Great Plain of Patagonia in southern Argentina. His writer’s eye misses no detail, and he serves up delights such as the brawling soccer fans of El Salvador, a bogus priest in Cali, and a desperate American woman searching for her lover in Veracruz. To this he adds an extraordinary account of his meeting with author Jorge Luis Borges in Argentina.
Borges in 90 Minutes
Borges in 90 Minutes
By Paul Strathern.
Narrated by Simon Vance.
Length: 1 hour and 49 minutes.
Blackstone Audio, 2009, Digital audiobook.
Available on Audible, this is part of the “Famous Person in 90 Minutes” series, the audio equivalent of Cliff Notes. According to the publisher:
Weaving fiction with fact, fantastic matter with historical figures, Borges’ frequent theme of a world where time, culture, and place converge is not only timely but pertinent in our advance toward globalization. Drawing from his multi-ethnic and -lingual upbringing in Argentina, Borges’ focus on universal themes early on came to belittle the sentiments of racism and communism, earning him widespread recognition. His work is both timeless and touching, a product of deep suffering and incorrigible innocence.
Borges in 90 Minutes offers a concise, expert account of Borges’ life and ideas and explains their influence on literature and on man’s struggle to understand his place in the world. The book also includes a list of Borges’ chief works, a chronology of his life and times, and recommended reading for those who wish to delve deeper.
Jorge Luis Borges: Más allá del tiempo y la eternidad
Jorge Luis Borges: Beyond Time and Eternity
Jorge Luis Borges: Más allá del tiempo y la eternidad
Length: 36 minutes.
Online Studio Productions, 2015, Digital audiobook.
Available on Audible, this Spanish-language audiobook is a short biography of Jorge Luis Borges. The narrator is not credited, and the only commentary is in Spanish:
La singular vida de uno de los escritores más destacados de la literatura del siglo XX. Dueño de una grandiosa imaginación, Borges expuso su mundo interior a lo largo de sus obras, las cuales constituyen un gran aporte a la literatura y al pensamiento humano. Su exigente educación, su temprano amor por las letras, su prolífica producción literaria y su genialidad creativa hicieron de él un artista e intelectual incomparable.
Translated with some help from Google:
The unique life of one of the most outstanding writers of twentieth-century literature. Possessing a prodigious imagination, Borges revealed his inner world through his works, which constitute a monumental contribution to literature and human thought. His demanding education, his early love for letters, his prolific literary production, and his creative genius made him an incomparable artist and intellectual.
If any visitor would like to contribute a review, please contact me!
Borges, Pinochet y el Premio Nobel
Borges, Pinochet, and the Nobel Prize
Borges, Pinochet y el Premio Nobel
By Alejandro Droznes.
Narrated by Edgar Garcia.
Length: 47 minutes.
Alejandro Droznes, 2017, Digital audiobook.
Available on Audible, this Spanish-language audiobook seems to have been contributed directly by the author. The summary is in Spanish, and is copyrighted by the author:
El hecho de que Borges no haya recibido el Premio Nobel puede interpretarse como una mera circunstancia histórica en la que primó la injusticia. Este libro sostiene una idea opuesta: Borges rechazó el Premio Nobel, y ese rechazo representa un eslabón más dentro de la obra borgiana. Según Alejandro Droznes, la estrategia de Borges para que no le dieran el Nobel es la coronación de su actitud fundamental ante la vida: la defensa de la individualidad. Borges, desde este punto de vista, se transformó, en ese momento, en un personaje de Borges. ¿O no son los héroes borgianos, siempre y en todos los casos, férreos defensores de la individualidad? ¡Descargue ahora este libro y acceda a la información que quizás resuelva este enigma!
Translated with some help from Google:
The fact that Borges had not received the Nobel Prize can be interpreted as a mere historical circumstance in which injustice prevailed. This book supports an opposite idea: Borges rejected the Nobel Prize, and that rejection represents one more link within the Borgesian canon. According to Alejandro Droznes, Borges’ strategy for not being awarded the Nobel Prize is the coronation of his fundamental attitude towards life: the defense of individuality. Borges, from this point of view, became, at that time, a character of Borges. Or are not the Borgesian heroes, always and in all cases, strong defenders of individuality? Download this book now and access the information that may solve this puzzle!
Based on his summary, I’m pretty certain Mr. Droznes has a unique viewpoint on this issue! If any visitor would like to contribute a review, please contact me.
Infinity According to Jorge Luis Borges
A Lesson on “Funes the Memorious”
Written and read by Ilan Stavans
[Watch on YouTube]
An elementary lesson on Jorge Luis Borges with animations and music. Uploaded in 2019 by TED Talks, the description is as follows:
What would it be like to have a limitless memory? Can the meaning of life be found in an infinite library? Is time a labyrinth or a single moment? Jorge Luis Borges explored these questions of infinity in his many works. His body of essays, poems and stories pioneered the literary style known as magical realism—and each was just a few pages long. Ilan Stavans dives into the world of Borges.
Borges on Audio
Main Page — Return to the “Borges on Audio” main page and index.
Borges in His Own Voice — Poems, stories, and lectures read by Borges himself.
Audiobooks — Selections of Borges’ short stories and poetry made available through Audible and other sources.
YouTube Readings — Readings of Borges set to music, video, or animations and placed online.
Author: Allen B. Ruch
Last Modified: 14 October 2019
Main Borges Page: The Garden of Forking Paths
Contact: quail(at)shipwrecklibrary(dot)com