The Maker

Jorge Luis Borges’ 1960 collection of short stories, entitled The Maker (El Hacedor, in the original Spanish), is comprised of 25 stories, all of which are under 1,000 words long. The brevity of the stories is augmented by the intricate manner in which Borges takes an idea from history, religion, literature or philosophy and plays with it, shaping it from a simple parable or academic argument into something much more aesthetic. Although his subject-matter is frequently taken from high literature (such as Shakespeare, Homer, Dante or Cervantes) or complex philosophical positions, The Maker is more than a collection of intellectual points. Borges is a craftsman, and the ideas that he employs are there in order to capture one fleeting, disturbing, and beautiful sensation.