Well, we already knew that Borges was a bit of an asshole:
Many of his reported opinions will confirm the view that he was a racist: “I am not anti-Semite, but the fact that everywhere the most varied cultures have persecuted Jews is an argument against them.†He was, in any case, an equal-opportunity supremacist: “I was asked if I liked Brazil. I said no, because the country is full of negroes. They didn’t like that at all. One can’t say anything against negroes. Their only merit is to have been mistreated and that, as Bernard Shaw remarked, is no merit.â€
Adolfo Bioy Casares’ biography of Borges is still of great interest to me, but i’m more interested in Borges the writer and Borges the reader, than Borges the man. I still have not read the Williamson biography either. I still love his writing, but stuff like this is always painful to acknowledge, as it diminishes the rest of his vision. Sure, there are many examples of flawed genius, but… ugh.
a couple of my favourite authors had reprehensible racist sentiments – I don’t know what this says about the kind of
books I’m drawn towards – a bit disturbing really
Knut Hamsun and L F Celine
I’ve just stumbled across your blog. It’s very interesting.
I also do love the writings of Borges but I always get the feeling that as a person he had some deep flaws, particularly a snobbish attitude. Of course, his possibly racist attitudes may partly be a reflection of the general attitudes of people in Buenos Aires (where I live) and where racism seems to be highly tolerated even today. I highly recommend the Williamson biography. I’ve not yet found the time to wade through the thousand pages or so of Bioy writings about Borges but it should be fascinating.
I’ll get to that Williamson biography one day, but i’m more interested in that list of Argentine writers that you posted. Still, i read only in English now, so it’s tantalizing to know just how much is just out of reach.
Thanks for commenting.