Erudites and eccentrics
An exploration of Borges´ British ancestors and the secret origins of his literary vocation
An exploration of Borges´ British ancestors and the secret origins of his literary vocation
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This is a cultural history of Borges. By tracing the author so far unknown British genealogy, the author proves that Borges inherited his literary vocation by way of his British grandmother. Unbeknownst to Borges, he was the seventh or eigth writer in his family tree - and the descendant of an intellectual dynasty spanning three centuries.
Starting from the scarce details that Borges discussed in different interviews about his family origins, Martin Hadis undertook a five-year research project in archives across England and several other countries.
The result of which were nothing short of astonishing: Jorge Luis Borges descended — without knowing it — from a vast but long forgotten clan of British intellectuals, as illustrious as they were colorful. In these pages, Hadis chronicles the lives and work of those ancestors, goes through the series of chance events that brought three members of this family to Argentina, and examines the many ways in which the remarkable legacy of this English branch shaped the life and work of the author of Ficciones.
The discoveries revealed in this book are at once fascinating and significant — for they redefine Borges as a writer, explain his emergence as a cultural phenomenon, and present for the first time the true origins of his literary vocation and erudition.
This is a cultural history of Borges. By tracing the author so far unknown British genealogy, the author proves that Borges inherited his literary vocation by way of his British grandmother. Unbeknownst to Borges, he was the seventh or eigth writer in his family tree - and the descendant of an intellectual dynasty spanning three centuries.
Starting from the scarce details that Borges discussed in different interviews about his family origins, Martin Hadis undertook a five-year research project in archives across England and several other countries.
The result of which were nothing short of astonishing: Jorge Luis Borges descended — without knowing it — from a vast but long forgotten clan of British intellectuals, as illustrious as they were colorful. In these pages, Hadis chronicles the lives and work of those ancestors, goes through the series of chance events that brought three members of this family to Argentina, and examines the many ways in which the remarkable legacy of this English branch shaped the life and work of the author of Ficciones.
The discoveries revealed in this book are at once fascinating and significant — for they redefine Borges as a writer, explain his emergence as a cultural phenomenon, and present for the first time the true origins of his literary vocation and erudition.