Books Like...
Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges is a collection of short stories that delve into fantastical worlds, odd realities, and philosophical musings. Borges weaves intricate narratives filled with paradoxes, gaucho knife fights, labyrinths, and infinite libraries. His writing style is described as mind-bending, deeply memorable, and engaging, touching on themes of history, the life of the mind, and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality. The stories are often dense, thought-provoking, and sometimes eerie, resonating with readers on a profound level.
If you liked Collected Fictions, here are the top 100 books to read next:
- #1
'The Garden of Forking Paths' by Jorge Luis Borges is a collection of mind-bending short stories that explore themes of parallel realities, free will, and the nature of storytelling. The writing style is described as imaginative, magical, and thought-provoking, with stories that often have mind-blowing or mind-bending endings. Borges' work is praised for its ability to challenge readers' perceptions and offer unique narrative experiences that blend genres like detective, spy, literary, and historical fiction.
The book is known for its intricate narratives, philosophical depth, and the way Borges plays with concepts of time, causation, and the multiplicity of choices. Readers appreciate the complexity of the stories, the literary references woven throughout, and the way Borges crafts tales that leave a lasting impact on the imagination.
I owe the discovery of Uqbar to the concurrence of a mirror and an encyclopaedia. The mirror unsettled the far end of a corridor in a villa in Gaona Street, in the Buenos Aires suburb of Ramos Mejía; ... - #2
'The Library of Babel' by Jorge Luis Borges is a collection of short stories that delve into philosophical and existential themes. The title story, 'The Library of Babel', presents a universe that is depicted as an endless library filled with books containing random permutations of letters. This story, along with others in the collection, explores concepts of infinity, knowledge, and the nature of reality through thought-provoking narratives and intricate storytelling. Borges's writing style is characterized by his ability to create complex and abstract worlds that challenge readers to question the boundaries of human understanding.
- #3
'The Aleph and Other Stories' by Jorge Luis Borges is a collection of short stories that showcase the author's unique writing style and imaginative storytelling. The book includes musings, commentaries, and fictional tales that delve into themes of reality, philosophy, mysticism, and the blurred lines between past, present, and future. Borges's stories often feature labyrinths, unexpected twists, and thought-provoking narratives that challenge the reader's perception of the world.
'Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings' by Jorge Luis Borges is a collection of short stories, essays, and parables that explore themes such as paradoxes, brain teasers, philosophy, and metaphysics. Borges plays with concepts of reality and challenges notions of time and infinity in a clever and profound manner. The stories often revolve around labyrinths, books, history, and the exploration of tangled spaces and time, creating a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating read.
The writing style of Borges is described as deep, philosophical, original, and thought-provoking. The stories are characterized by their intellectual conceits, simplicity in complexity, and the ability to make readers question reality and perception. Borges' work is praised for its profound meanings, originality, and the way each story presents a wealth of ideas that resonate with readers long after reading them.
I first read Jorge Luis Borges’ Labyrinthsin an armchair upholstered with a smooth lettuce-green brocade,patterned with leaves that were themselves not unlike lettuce, though they were alsorather like...- #5
Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino is a curious collection of short fantasies that intertwine scientific theories with anthropomorphized subatomic particles, cellular structures, and prehistoric life forms. The stories explore the evolution of the universe in a whimsical and imaginative way, making complex scientific concepts simple and intriguing for readers. Through tales of planetary births, evolution, and galaxy formation, Calvino illuminates basic and complex human emotions using unconventional characters and settings.
- #6
Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges is a collection of short stories that delve into imaginative and thought-provoking realms, exploring concepts such as missing encyclopedia entries, expansive imaginary worlds, and the blurring of reality and fiction. Borges' writing style is described as powerful, dense, and philosophical, with stories that challenge readers to think deeply about literature, language, and the nature of knowledge. The book is a labyrinth of intricate narratives, surreal settings, and metafictional elements that push the boundaries of traditional storytelling.
I owe the discovery of Uqbar to the conjunction of a mirror and an encyclopedia. The unnerving mirror hung at the end of a corridor in a villa on Calle Goana, in Ramos Mejía; the misleading encycloped... - #7
On Argentina by Alfred MacAdam, Jorge Luis Borges, and Suzanne Jill Levine seems to be a collection of essays and writings focused on Argentina, its culture, landscape, and renowned literary figures such as Borges and Julio Cortazar. The book appears to delve into the rich literary tradition of Argentina, exploring the works of influential authors and their impact on the global literary scene. The writing style is described as baroque and inaccessible at times, with a focus on idea-based, weird short stories and exploring philosophical concepts through short stories.
A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin is a collection of autobiographical short stories that offer a glimpse into the author's life experiences. The stories feature characters who navigate through challenging circumstances such as alcoholism, relationship failures, abuse, and death, all while finding moments of grace and hope. Berlin's writing style is described as blunt, gritty, and unflinching, with a focus on detail and matter-of-fact storytelling. The narratives cover a range of themes, from intimate conversations and peripatetic lives to observations of people living in the Southwest of the United States.
Lucia Berlin’s stories are electric, they buzz and crackle as the live wires touch. And in response, the reader’s mind, too, beguiled, enraptured, comes alive, all synapses firing. This is the way we ...The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges is a collection of surreal short stories that explore the concept of time and being. The stories delve into themes such as books and libraries, nameless strangers, intersections of the past and present, bards and skalds, Christianity's pagan roots, architecture, mathematics, and unreliable first-person narrators. Each story in the collection shares a reflective and somber tone, often leading to a sense of resignation in the face of the inscrutable universe. The title story, "The Book of Sand," tells the tale of a man who encounters a mysterious book with infinite pages, leading to a series of philosophical questions and a sense of being trapped by its endlessness.
- #10
'The Wind's Twelve Quarters' by Ursula K. Le Guin is a collection of twelve short stories that delve into themes of loneliness, foolish choices, and the death of science. The stories are described as thoughtful, intelligently written, and capable of disturbing the reader like no other. Le Guin's writing style is praised for being understated, well-crafted, and exploring both darkness and light within the universe she creates.
This story, written in 1963, published as “Dowry of the Angyar” in 1964 and as the Prologue of my first novel, Rocannon’s World, in 1966, was actually the eighth story I got printed; but it opens the ...