Borges and I

“The other one, the one called Borges, is the one things happen to.”

The narrator’s use of “I” implies that the “Borges” persona exists separately from his inner self. It resides externally and is distinct from his core identity. This external identity is portrayed as the passive recipient of events, contrasting with the “I” that initiates actions. This characterization hints at a lack of control over how the outside world perceives his external identity.

“I know of Borges from the mail and see his name on a list of professors or in a biographical dictionary.”

Borges, as the author, conveys that he encounters his external persona in the tangible realm. The sight of his name inscribed on a piece of mail or within the pages of another book brings to life aspects of himself that the world acknowledges. His inner self remains confined to his thoughts and recollections, and when it materializes in the physical world, it seamlessly merges with the external persona of “Borges.”

“I live, let myself go on living, so that Borges may contrive his literature, and this literature justifies me.”

Borges emphasizes the symbiotic relationship between his inner and outer selves, with his literature being a vital component of his existence. Borges elaborates on the notion that his persona is closely associated with his writing. While his inner identity is the source of his creativity, the tangible output of that creativity becomes an integral component of his external self.