Borges, “Guayaquil” and the Shadow of the Caudillo (A History of Imprecisions, Silences and Davidic Choragi)

The author examines “Guayaquil”, a short-story by Jorge Luis Borges included in Doctor Brodie’s Report, which tells the historical rendezvous between Bolívar and San Martín that took place in the city. Robles sheds light on Borges’ text through references to Joseph Conrad’s novel Nostromo, plotted w...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Robles, Humberto E.
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2010
País:Ecuador
Recursos:Universidad Andina Simón Bolivar
Repositorio:Revista Andina de Letras y Estudios Culturales
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:revistas.uasb.edu.ec:article/939
Acesso em linha:https://revistas.uasb.edu.ec/index.php/kipus/article/view/939
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Borges
Historia
civilización/barbarie
república
caudillo
Bolívar
San Martín
Nostromo
history
civilization/barbarism
republic
Descrição
Resumo:The author examines “Guayaquil”, a short-story by Jorge Luis Borges included in Doctor Brodie’s Report, which tells the historical rendezvous between Bolívar and San Martín that took place in the city. Robles sheds light on Borges’ text through references to Joseph Conrad’s novel Nostromo, plotted with criollo elites and caudillos, their wanderings and betrayals. Robles claims that Borges depicts his own view of history in “Guayaquil”: a construction based on intertwining perspectives, rearranged pieces of information and imprecisions. In the quest for power, where popular caudillos as well as refined politicians are involved, Borges would believe a major role is played by will and decision as opposed to words. Finally, the author examines the effect of how stories are organized differently within the book. The first English version would show an increasing representation of barbarism (as theme), present in Latin American nations a century and a half after their independence.