Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) was an Argentine writer and poet, widely regarded as one of the most important literary figures of the twentieth century. He is best known for his short stories, in which fantasy and metaphysical themes play a central role, as well as for his poetry and essays.
He was born in Buenos Aires on August 24, 1899. His father was a lawyer and professor of psychology. Borges grew up in a bilingual household, as his English-speaking grandmother taught him to speak and write English from an early age. He wanted to become a writer from childhood and, at the age of seven, wrote a brief summary of Greek mythology. At eight he wrote his first short story, and at nine he translated Oscar Wilde's *The Happy Prince* into Spanish.
Because of a hereditary eye condition that would gradually lead to complete blindness, his family moved to Geneva. There Borges received an excellent education and perfected his knowledge of English, French, and German. In 1919, while living in Majorca, Spain, he completed his first poetry collection, *The Red Rhythms*, which reflected the influence of the Russian Revolution.
After several years of travel and temporary residence in Europe, the Borges family returned to Buenos Aires in 1921. Borges began writing poetry, short stories, essays, and imaginative fiction, founding literary magazines and participating actively in literary circles. He published one or more books almost every year.
In 1938 his father died, and during the same year Borges suffered a serious head injury in an accident, nearly dying from septicemia. In 1955, the year he lost his eyesight completely, he was appointed Director of the National Library of Argentina. As he famously remarked: “God granted me at once books and night.”
Borges spent most of his life living with his mother. At her insistence, he married in 1967, but the marriage proved unsuccessful and ended in divorce three years later. He continued living with his mother until her death in 1975 at the age of ninety-nine. Afterward, he embarked on a series of journeys around the world.
In 1984 he visited Greece, first Athens and then Rethymno, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Philosophy. He died of liver cancer in Geneva on June 14, 1986.
