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This Craft of Verse
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by Jorge Luis Borges,
Edited by Calin-Andrei Mihailescu
Harvard University Press
Due/Published
March 2002, 160 pages,
paper
ISBN
0674008200
New in paper (S02) Through a twist of fate that the author of Labyrinths himself would have relished, these lost lectures given in English at Harvard in 1967-1968 by Jorge Luis Borges return to us now, a recovered tale of a life-long love affair with literature and the English language. Transcribed from tapes only recently discovered, This Craft of Verse captures the cadences, candor, wit, and remarkable erudition of one of the most extraordinary and enduring literary voices of the twentieth century. In its wide-ranging commentary and exquisite insights, the book stands as a deeply personal yet far-reaching introduction to the pleasures of the word, and as a first-hand testimony to the life of literature. Though his avowed topic is poetry, Borges explores subjects ranging from prose forms (especially the novel), literary history, and translation theory to philosophical aspects of literature in particular and communication in general. Probably the best-read citizen of the globe in his day, he draws on a wealth of examples from literature in modern and medieval English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Hebrew, and Chinese, speaking with characteristic eloquence on Plato, the Norse kenningar, Byron, Poe, Chesterton, Joyce, and Frost, as well as on translations of Homer, the Bible, and the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Whether discussing metaphor, epic poetry, the origins of verse, poetic meaning, or his own "poetic creed," Borges gives a performance as entertaining as it is intellectually engaging. A lesson in the love of literature and in the making of a unique literary sensibility, this is a sustained encounter with one of the writers by whom the twentieth century will be long remembered. Contents 1. The Riddle of Poetry
2. The Metaphor
3. The Telling of the Tale
4. Word-Music and Translation
5. Thought and Poetry
6. A Poet's Creed Notes |
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Review
It almost sounds like a Borges story. Lying in a library vault at Harvard were tape recordings of Borges’s lectures given at the school in 1967 and 1968. After gathering dust for over thirty years, the tapes have been transcribed and are now available in this compelling new volume. Though the title suggests a focus on poetry, Borges’s lectures are wide-ranging -- Homer, Norse mythology, James Joyce, Robert Frost, the Bible, and more come under his gaze -- and are a testament to his curiosity and love for literature. The lectures are fascinating speculations on the meaning and power of literature as well as an excellent introduction to Borgesian concepts. The work is divided into separate lectures: “The Riddle of Poetry” deals with the ontological status of poetry; “Metaphor,” discusses how poets have used and reused metaphors through the centuries; “Telling of the Tale,” looks at the disappearance of epic poetry and the failings of the novel; “Word Music and Translation,” is an extended meditation on the translation of poetry; “Thought and Poetry” argues that meaning in poetry is a fetish, and that powerful metaphors unsettle hermeneutic frameworks rather than enhancing meaning; “A Poet’s Creed” is a kind of confessional where Borges looks at his own status as a writer. (Hardcover, 2000 -- Paperback, 2002) Also of interest: The Collected Fictions of Jorge Luis Borges For other titles in related subjects:
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