The Book of Imaginary Beings

Jorge Luis Borges is one of the most popular writers of the 20th century, who largely shaped the face of modern literature. He is known for his penchant for various anthologies, encyclopedias, and bestiaries. «This is the mysterious love for everything that exists without us,» he wrote in the poem «On Buying an Encyclopedia». In 1950, Borges co-authored «A Handbook of Fantastic Zoology» with Margarita Guerrero, which, after numerous additions, found its final form under the title «The Book of Imaginary Beings». The reader will find here many strange, wonderful creatures that have come from the pages of ancient books and were born in the imagination of poets and philosophers, including Borges himself. At the same time, the book is constructed in the author's favorite style, where the boundary between poetry and prose, fiction and reality is thinned and disappears, leaving the reader face to face with true literature. The present edition includes the most complete version of «The Book of Imaginary Beings», prepared by Borges in English in 1974, and has served as a source of inspiration for many writers, poets, and artists.