"Emma Zunz" is a short story by

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

writer

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 bo ...

. The tale recounts how its eponymous heroine avenges the death of her father. Originally published in September 1948 in the magazine ''Sur'', it was reprinted in Borges' 1949 collection '' The Aleph''. The story deals with the themes of justice and revenge, and of right and wrong. As in several other short stories, Borges illustrates the difficulty in understanding and describing reality. The story relies on issues of deceit, self-deception and inauthenticity to illustrate this.

Plot

Emma Zunz, a worker at a textile mill, returns home and finds a letter indicating that her father has died in hospital after an accidental

Veronal Barbital (or barbitone), marketed under the brand names Veronal for the pure acid and Medinal for the sodium salt, was the first commercially available barbiturate. It was used as a sleeping aid (hypnotic) from 1903 until the mid-1950s. The chemic ...

overdose. Emma, overwhelmed by grief, believes that her father has in fact committed suicide. She recalls how her father told her that the textile mill owner Aaron Loewenthal was guilty of an

embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

charge which led to his arrest, and she plots revenge. On the following weekend, Emma calls Loewenthal, claiming she has information about an impending strike and agrees to meet him that night. In the afternoon she seduces a Scandinavian man at a bar who pays her for a sexual encounter. The encounter disgusts Emma but she continues with her plan. She meets Loewenthal at the factory and pretends to report on workers involved in the strike. He leaves his office to get a glass of water, at which point Emma takes a revolver from his desk and murders him. She then calls the police, claiming that Aaron Loewenthal was abusing her and that she killed him in retaliation. The remains of Emma’s disgust from the earlier encounter allow her to speak convincingly. The story ends with the narrator noting that Emma’s emotions were true, only the exact circumstances, time and names were false.

Screen adaptations

Various films have been based on Borges' "Emma Zunz": *''Zunz'' (2016) (UK) directed by Simeon Lumgair. *''Emma Zunz'' (1993) (Spain) directed for television by

Benoît Jacquot Benoît Jacquot (; born 5 February 1947) is a French film director and screenwriter who has had a varied career in European cinema. Life and career Born in Paris, Jacquot began his career as assistant director of Marguerite Duras films, inclu ...

. *''Emma Zunz'' (1985) (Mexico) directed by Giangiacomo Tabet. *''Emma Zunz'' (1984) (Holland) directed by

Peter Delpeut Peter Delpeut (born 12 July 1956, Vianen) is a Dutch filmmaker and writer. Several of his films have heavily used found footage. He has won several literary awards for his writing.Jesús Martínez León Jesus ( AD 30 or 33) was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who most Christians believe to be the incarnation of God and Muslims believe was a prophet. Jesus may also refer to: People Religious figures * Elymas Bar-Jesus, a Jew in the ''Act ...

. *''

Días de odio ''Días de odio'', literally translated as Days of Hate, is a 1954 Argentine film. It is based on the short story ''Emma Zunz'' by Jorge Luis Borges. ''Días de odio '' was directed by Leopoldo Torre Nilsson and filmed in black and white. The sc ...

'' (1954) (Argentina) directed by

Leopoldo Torre Nilsson Leopoldo Torre Nilsson (5 May 1924 – 8 September 1978), also known as Leo Towers and as Babsy, was an Argentine film director, producer and screenwriter. Born as Leopoldo Torres Nilsson (he later changed his paternal surname from Torres to ...

Plot

Screen adaptations

References

Further reading