Subject: (urth) The Borges is in the addendum

From: Michael Andre-Driussi <mantis at sirius.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 07:30:18 +0000

Eek, the Borges chastisement continues!

In "Additions, Errata, &cetera (volume I)" (1995):

BORGES, JORGE LUIS  some mirrors, books, Kabbalah, paradoxes, and mystery.
See "Last Night in the Garden of Forking Tongues" (PLAN[E]T ENGINEERING, p.
138).
--THE BOOK OF IMAGINARY BEINGS has a lot of relevant material.
--"Circular Ruins" ties into "The Tale of the Student and His Son" (Adam
Thornton).
--"Funes the Memorius" has photographic memory, like Severian (Clute,
STROKES, p. 152).
--"The Library of Babel" ties into Library of Nessus (Clute, STROKES, p. 156).
--"Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" offers a kind of blueprint for The Book in
its opening paragraph (Mike Marano), and it is a model for Wolfe's non-Urth
story "Useful Phrases" (Don Keller).

Then, in "Additions, Errata, &cetera (volume III)" (1998):

"I [Ted Gerney] tried tracking down an earlier citation concerning Borges
than Clute's in STROKES.  The only mention of Borges I could find in CASTLE
OF THE OTTER is on p. 15, in "Sun of Helioscope," where Wolfe mentions a
different Borges short short story, "Argumentum Ornithologicum" in DREAM
TIGERS.

   "However, in PLAN[E]T ENGINEERING, Wolfe does mention "The Library of
Babel," on p. 4, the first full paragraph, making a definite link between
the Library of Nessus and Borges's story" [Ted Gerney].

But there is more, here in the archives (or "there," depending upon your
frame of reference).  The Urth list search engine should reveal all sorts
of details, for example (granted that Ultan = Borges) the quiet debate over
whether Cyby is Gene Wolfe himself or what's his name, the famous
translator of Borges.

Happy searching!

=mantis=

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

---

From: Jack and Melissa Holcomb <jackandmel at socket.net>
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2000 17:08:19 +0000

Ah, geez, I'm sorry.  I just ordered AE&1-3, and haven't seen them yet.  I
didn't mean to be mean.

Thanks for all the great information!

Jack
jackandmel at socket.net

>whether Cyby is Gene Wolfe himself or what's his name, the famous
works
>*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/
ranjit at best.com
whorl at lists.best.com