Borges and Vance

David_Lebling · 26 Oct 1999, 14:58 · from urth-v0028.mbox · original

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From: David_Lebling at avid.com
Subject: (urth) Borges and Vance
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 14:58:50
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Alex David Groce writes of Borges' influence on Wolfe:
<<Borges is also always looming over Wolfe's work ... "Funes the Memorius" =
and
"The Circular Ruins" are obvious ones.>>

I'd like to add, as a less obvious one, also from _Ficciones_, "The Approac=
h to
al'Mutasim."  This is a  story about a pulp genre (mystery) novel which
eventually concerns the search for a messiah-like figure.  It is a work with
many levels, but one of them is a meditation on the importance of mystery (=
or
perhaps the unattainability of truth) in fiction.  One part of the story
concerns a revised edition of the book in question, in which all the myster=
ies
are revealed, producing a much inferior work.  At another level it is about
religion, and subtle hints, and many other bits and pieces (including a
planetary, um, Indian adventure) which are quite lupine.

But then, all Wolfe fans are Borges fans already, right?

Also,
<<Jack Vance is the real center of science fiction's literary influence of
Wolfe.>>

Couldn't agree more.  However (as mantis has pointed out elsewhere), there =
is
quite a contrast between Vance's picaresque, areligious, sometimes amoral h=
eroes
and Wolfe's tormented, sometimes unknowing seekers after God.  To be honest,
Sev's behavior is not unlike that of a Vance hero; he just agonizes over it
more.

But then, all Wolfe fans are Vance fans already, right?

(A sad parallel between Borges and Vance is that Vance is now blind or near=
ly
so.)

     Dave Lebling
     (aka vizcacha)

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