Customer Reviews (3)

Borges: Bioy Casares's friend.
With more than 1660 pages this book is very interesting. I think that it's a great choice but just if you have read the complete works of Borges and at least the best works of Bioy (and I would suggest its reading in spanish). I do not like all his collaborations (Isidoro Parodi and others) but this secret collaboration is wonderfull.
As a caution I would say that nobody had to read this volume expecting to know Borges, but this is the (cult) point of view from a friend, and you know, the friends have a special way to sight or to opine about the other friend. So (knowing the Bioy Casares's books) it is normal meet a Borges more passional, sometimes very distant, anyway, I use the english just to read but I hope that this brief review could help someone.
Con sus más de 1660 páginas este tomo es bastante entretenido e interesante. Yo creo que es una buena lectura siempre y cuando se haya leido la obra completa de Borges y por lo menos la obra básica de ABC. Debido a que las referencias siempre llevan a los libros que Borges publicó. Es excelente en el sentido de que no es cualquiera quien habla de Borges sino otro genio literario como lo fue Bioy Casares. Sin embargo no creo que haya que leerlo con la espectativa de conocer al verdadero Borges, sino de conocer la (cultísima) ídea que Bioy tenía de él. Personalmente considero cada dólar bien invertido en este maravilloso volumén; también me agradó que estuviera en un solo tomo.

More than a biography
First of all, I was surprised with this robust hardcover. More than 1600 pages, making it uneasy to read it as we do with most of the books. But it is an extraordinary portrait of the Argentine cultural life in almost forty years of friendship between two great intellectuals . Reading through pages we can meet Borges, family and friends as they really are, in daily conversations about almost everything. I was admired with Bioy capacity of registering detailed discussions, and document Borges perspective on poetry, prose, writers and polititians. A wonderful book.

Deflating the master while providing much new incident and anecdote regarding him
This brief review is based on the information and analysis given in the review of David Gallagher which appeared in the Times Literary Supplement.
In this massive diary Borges is revealed to be a systematic debunker of many of the greats of world- literature. This is in total contradiction to the generally admiring way he writes about Literary figures in his own stories, and poems. And it in a sense works to undermine the 'image' most readers have of him as reader and lover of Literature.
Secondly, Bioy reveals in this work Borges' awkwardness and lack of success with women. Borges is shown in this regard as a ridiculous figure. He is also revealed to be a bit of a misogynist as he speaks of women as 'incapable of abstract thought'.
Thirdly , we are always eager to know more about the great geniuses. Borges is unquestionably one of the great literary geniuses of the twentieth century. His way of writing and perceiving the world, and of understanding literature and life changes , or may change the way we read the whole tradition of world- literature. Thus there is a tremendous amount of material here which will be gobbled up by Borges' many fans.
However Gallagher says that there are no real insights into Borges work. This has to be viewed as a major shortcoming.
Gossip can be fun, and this diary is full of literary gossip. But the work in making Borges seem an ungenerous ingrate to many writers also diminishes him.
Perhaps part of this is Bioy's own hidden rivalry with his best friend, collaborator,who nonetheless was on another level entirely when it came to literary creation.

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Customer Reviews (1)

Bioy Casares Excellent Adventure
An excellent find, a quality in the writing captures the hazy clarity of dreams and old photographs.Telling the story of a young man caught up in strange affairs in a new town, Casares creates both a greatly readable piece of semi-magical realism and an entertaining piece of storytelling.I found myself opening it at random time after time to enjoy the scenery he paints, and the intriguing characters that populate them.If you enjoy the style of south american literature, but still need a solid plot to carry you onwards, this should prove a enjoyable diversion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Battle We Must All Endure.
Diary of the War of the Pig by Adolfo Bioy Casares was a pleasure to read. Old age is a fact of life yet people of the younger generations tend to ignore this reality. It all falls under the guise of the fear of death (fear of life?). Diary of the War of the Pig tells the tale of this struggle. The old are pushed aside by the young. I would be very interested in seeing this story made into a play or movie - the lessons that Casares teaches us must be shared. Read it!

Notable raconto de los años 50 en la República Argentina
La creatividad de Bioy Casares es el gancho que atrae al lector con una historia simple pero amena que describe tiempos violentos en Argentina.Imperdible para todos aquellos interesados en novelas de suspenso de lectura ágil y entretenida. ... Read more