Borges’s Most Problematic Translator

Abstract

At least seventeen translators have completed English translations of Jorge Luis Borges’s work. Only one, however, worked side by side with the author. Norman Thomas di Giovanni spent years working one-on-one with Borges to create English versions of Borges’s fiction, essays, and poetry. Borges and others have expressed mixed feelings about the collaboration. However, the unique manner these translations were created sets them apart from all others. Indeed, because of Borges’s active hand in creating them, they are not pure “translations” at all, but joint works created in collaboration between the author and di Giovanni. Some believe this difference enhances the quality of these works. Others believe it spoils them. This essay does not weigh in on that debate. Instead, it argues that, regardless of literary merit, the fact these works are the only prose Borges crafted directly in English, with or without a collaborator, makes them stand out from all other English translations of Borges.

Keywords: Jorge Luis Borges, Latin American Fiction, Short Stories, Magical Realism, Translation

JEL Classification: Z11