Recorded during his final years, these conversations with Osvaldo Ferrari provide a wide-ranging reflection on Borges life and work. In an improvisatory and frequently humorous dialogue, he discusses subjects as diverse as epic poetry, detective fiction, Buddhism and the moon landing. He offers insight into the philosophical basis of his stories and poems, his fascination with religious mysticism and the idea of life as dream. Borges also talks about more personal themes: the influence of his mother and father on his intellectual development, his friendships and his blindness. These recollections are alive to the passage of history, whether in the changing landscape of Buenos Aires or a succession of political conflicts, leading Borges to contemplate what he describes as his South American destiny . The recurrent theme of these conversations, however, is a life lived through books. Borges draws on the resources of a mental library that embraces world literature, ancient and modern. He recalls the works that remained a constant presence in his memory and maps his changing attitudes to a highly personal canon. In his prologue to this volume, Borges celebrates dialogue and the transmission of culture across time and place. These conversations are testimony to the supple ways that he explored his own relation to numerous traditions.

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