Ficciones
Jorge Luis Borges · 1899–1986 · Argentina
Originally Ficciones (Spanish)
Why it matters
The Library of Babel, forking paths, Pierre Menard rewriting Quixote word for word; seventeen miniature infinities. The most influential story collection of the century: world fiction's geometry redrawn in under two hundred pages.
At a glance
short story collectionphilosophical novelpostmodern
Difficulty 7/10slow pace174 pagesDense philosophical puzzles and invented bibliographies packed into a few pages each.
Where to go next
Jorge Luis Borges · 1935A Universal History of InfamyLvl 5Fast paced
Jorge Luis Borges · 1949The AlephLvl 7Slow burn
Jorge Luis Borges · 1975The Book of SandLvl 6Fast paced
Julio Cortázar · 1959Blow-Up and Other StoriesLvl 6Medium pace
Silvina Ocampo · 1959Thus Were Their FacesLvl 5Fast paced
Adolfo Bioy Casares · 1940The Invention of MorelLvl 5Fast paced