NORTH/SOUTH

Jim Jordan wrote: "My own thinking started by noticing that Blind Ultan is Borges..." That's brilliant! My love and admiration for BONS has just gone up another level. Borges as old Ultan - I can only grin like an idiot and shake my head. Thanks, Jim. Tom Urash

And someone (I forget who) on here has pointed out that Cyby is described as roughly what Wolfe might have looked at when he wrote BOTNS, so we have Wolfe as the humble apprentice to the master of the archives. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

<<"My own thinking started by noticing that Blind Ultan is Borges..." >> Tom Urash wrote: <<That's brilliant! My love and admiration for BONS has just gone up another level. Borges as old Ultan - I can only grin like an idiot and shake my head. Thanks, Jim.>> Jim, can you give some support for the assertion that Ultan is Borges? Haven't read the passage in some time, but Im a big Borges fan (it was Wolfe's resemblence to Borges that got me interested in TBOTNS) and would love to see the connection. Carlton

Well, I'd read Eco first, so I was set up for it. He's a librarian. He's blind. One of the books contains all books, Borges's Aleph. The city is Buenos Aires. jbjordan

Jim wrote: <<Well, I'd read Eco first, so I was set up for it.

Good food for thought there, and thank you. Carlton

Reading this I was suddenly struck by the posibility of hubris on Wolfe's part. Sure, Cyby as apprentice to Ultan; Ultan knowing exactly where to lay hands on so many books, and knows much of their contents: so learned, so wise. Wolfe (as Cyby) figuratively sitting at the feet of Borges (as Ultan). But Cyby still has eyes to read, and learn and grow. And any apprentice can hope to inherit the master's mantle.... Matthew