Dreamtigers

by Jorge Luis Borges

Book Overview

Dreamtigers has been heralded as one of the literary masterpieces of the twentieth century by Mortimer J. Adler, editor of Great Books of the Western World. It has been acknowledged by its author as his most personal work. Composed of poems, parables, and stories, sketches and apocryphal quotations, Dreamtigers at first glance appears to be a sampler--albeit a dazzling one--of the master's work. Upon closer examination, however,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0292715498
• ISBN13: 9780292715493
• Release Date: January 1964
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Genius in Fragments and Sketches

Jorge Luis Borges will be remembered as one of the outstanding writers of the twentieth century. I am continually awed by his imagination, by his incredible breadth, and by his command of language.At one point Borges considered this particular collection of miscellany - odd poems, stories, parables, sketches, fragments, and fictional quotations - to be a mirror of his life, and even possibly a work that would outlast his widely admired Ficciones and El Aleph. Dreamtigers is indeed fascinating, but it likely to be more fully appreciated by readers already familiar with Borges. A reader new to Jorge Luis Borges might begin with Ficciones, The Aleph, Labyrinths, or Seven Nights.The prose was translated by Mildred Boyer and the poetry by Harold Morland. The arrangement is by Borges himself, and reflects an association of ideas, not a chronological grouping. Any reader acquainted with his works undoubtedly recognizes that Borges often returns to favorite themes in various guises, sometime deliberately, other times unintentionally. This collection seems more personal and biographical than his better known works. The dedication is to an Argentine poet, long dead, that Borges once unreservedly criticized. The essay Dreamtigers is a personal reflection on the limits of creativity. The Draped Mirrors is a haunting recollection about a friend that suffered a uniquely personal (from Borges perspective) mental illness. Borges and I explores the confused identity of Borges the writer and Borges the man. Other essays are less biographical, and reveal his deep fascination with the thoughts and ideas of other writers, especially Homer, Dante, Plato, Coleridge, and Cervantes.Dreamtigers is evenly divided between prose and poetry. Borges began his literary career as a poet and only gradually moved to prose. Amazingly, his poetry is as remarkable as his prose. Many poems reflect his vast knowledge and interests - the inevitable passage of time, the game of chess, mirrors, Anglo-Saxon grammar, and Ariosto and the Arabs. Others are more biographical, often touching on themes that were also subjects of essays. The poetic translation by Harold Morland is excellent.

excellent if you're in the proper frame of mind

dreamtigers has languished on my shelf for over a year... for some reason i just couldn't get into it. foolish me.this little book broken into two parts- a collection of short pieces some poetry. all very brief- the longest passage occupies a little over two pages. what i'm really struck by is how personal this collection is. i've seen borges as a towering intellect but rather cold. dreamtigers has forced me to re-evaluate this- there's tenderness, loss and affection in these works. borges is always dazzling, and the second part is a good introduction to his poetry, of which i understand there is a lot. the introductory and appendix notes are most illuminating.

One of my favorite books of all time.

I am not an avid reader of poetry, but Dreamtigers (which is about half poetry, half prose) ranks in my top five favorite books of all time. Borges never ceases to amaze me. I am always being reminded of his work as I read other books. It's actually kind of hard to put into words, but Dreamtigers is one of the most complete books ever written -- it amplifies and compliments itself and gives you a truly unique insight into the mind and the world.Truly unique.

Brain-wrenchingly beautiful

A marvelous book. More enjoyable than "Ficciones," if that is possible. The way the scattered thread of prose and poetry are in actuality spinning around the librarian himself are evident after a few reads through; a book far more structured than apparent on the first trip though it.I have never wanted to read Spanish more than after reading this.

Like the great authors, Borges writes a 1000 words in a few.

A collection of poems, short stories and Borgian tales, that touches every neuron in your brain. Reading Dreamtigers was an experience out of this world. Borges writes like nature does with space/time in a black hole, he compresses ideas and thoughts into a few words