Bioy's diaries to remind myself that the sin of bad poetry and lousy metaphors is nearby.Īnd also to remind myself that it is better to be outspoken and unloved, than to be a liar with many literary friends.This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. And to be honest if I found this line in a novel I'm not sure that I would be upset about it.

I'm afraid that many poetry readers would find this acceptable poetry nowadays. To give an example: “The light remained trapped in the lift, like a bard in a cage.”

Borges and Bioy, after they are done eating and discussing the imbecility of life in general and the imbecility of literature in particular they recite bad poetry to each other lines they invent on the spot. Probably because most publishers believe that publishing dead authors is an “uphill battle.” Which is a polite euphemism for “waste of time.”įor this reason I'm very happy to see that my fellow blogger Chad Post tries to find readers for Georges Simenon, an author who deserves as much praise as let's say Kafka.īack to the Messrs. Generally speaking authors tend to love bashing their living competitors, when they bash at all. Borges and Bioy for bashing mainly dead authors. This might be true it all comes down to how exactly you define being an imbecile. “Maybe every writer read with care reveals his imbecility,” he states. Borges is generous when it comes to labeling books and persons as imbecile. Rabelais is described as “abominable.” Borges declares: “Anyone who admires Baudelaire is an imbecile.”īut neither Baudelaire nor his admires should take this personally. Borges discussed literature in no uncertain terms. Some authors write about other authors, which is called criticism some authors speak about their fellow authors at book parties and weddings, which is called gossip and some authors decide to be silent on this matter, which is called diplomacy. Borges seemed to have spoken openly about fellow authors.

Bioy's diaries are 1644 pages (even in the edited version), but based on the review, I decided to order the book right away.Īmong other reasons, I bought it because Mr. I had never heard the name Adolfo Bioy Casares until I read a lengthy review of his diaries in Times Literary Supplement

Borges casares