The Book of Imaginary Beings
El libro de los seres imaginarios, 1967, expansion of Manual de zoología fantástica, 1957, written with Margarita Guerrero.
Few readers will want, or be able, to resist this modern bestiary. Here are familiar beasts like gryphons, minotaurs and unicorns as well as the monkey of the inkpot! The text by Borges is a cunning and humorous commentary on these beasts.
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) was an Argentine writer, essayist, and poet born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school and traveled to Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and essays in surrealist literary journals. He also worked as a librarian and public lecturer. In 1955 he was appointed director of the National Public Library and professor of Literature at the University of Buenos Aires. In 1961 he came to international attention when he received the first International Publishers' Prize, the Prix Formentor. His work was translated and published widely in the United States and in Europe. Borges himself was fluent in several languages. He died in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1986.