''A Universal History of Infamy'', or ''A Universal History of Iniquity'' (original Spanish title: ''Historia universal de la infamia''), is a collection of
short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
by
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known b ...
, first published in 1935, and revised by the author in 1954. Most were published individually in the newspaper ''Crítica'' between 1933 and 1934. Angel Flores, the first to use the term "
magical realism
Magical is the adjective for magic. It may also refer to:
* Magical (horse)
Magical (foaled 18 May 2015) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who excelled over middle distances and was rated in the top twenty racehorses in the world in 2018 and ...
", set the beginning of the movement with this book.On his conference "Magical Realism in Spanish American" (New York, MLA, 1954), published later in ''Hispania'', 38 (2), 1955.
The stories (except ''Hombre de la esquina rosada'') are fictionalised accounts of real criminals. The sources are listed at the end of the book, but Borges makes many alterations in the retelling—arbitrary or otherwise—particularly to dates and names, so the accounts cannot be relied upon as historical. In particular, ''The Disinterested Killer'' diverges from its source material.
Two English translations exist, the first from 1972 and the second from 1999 (part of a collected edition, published as a separate book in 2004). The 1972 English edition (''A Universal History of Infamy'', ) was translated by
Norman Thomas di Giovanni Norman Thomas di Giovanni (3 October 1933 – 16 February 2017) was an American-born editor and translator known for his collaboration with Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges.
Biography
Di Giovanni was born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1933, son ...
. The 2004 English edition (''A Universal History of Iniquity'', ), translated by Andrew Hurley, was published by
Penguin Classics
Penguin Classics is an imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean among other languages. Literary critics see books in this series as important members of the West ...
, a division of British publisher
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.
Contents
See also
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Bibliography of Jorge Luis Borges
This is a bibliography of works by Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet, and translator Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986).
Each year links to its corresponding " earin literature" article (for prose) or " earin poetry" article (for verse). ...