Noticias
On the 30th anniversary of the Argentinian writer´s death
Borges and Reyes two definitely literary human beings: Roberto Alifano
April 14, 2016As two definitely literary human beings, Argentinian Roberto Alifano described writers Jorge Luis Borges and Alfonso Reyes, who cultivated a close friendship for over three decades, mainly because they shared a great sense of humor.
During the talk the Argentinian author’s amanuensis had with the Mexican writer Adolfo Castañón, titled: Jorge Luis Borges and Alfonso Reyes: History of a friendship, they remembered stories of these two giants of Latin American literature.
As part of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Borges’s death, Roberto Alifano said in the Capilla Alfonsina that both the Argentinian and the Mexican "were two literary human beings, definitely literary, two men for whom all life, all their human experiences passed through literature, sifted through literature”.
It was in 1927 in Buenos Aires that both writers met and immediately arose a lot of affinities, including a sense of humor, because Alifano recalled that "Borges told me that one of the things that attracted him from Don Alfonso Reyes was his sense of humor, you never knew if he was serious or joking and always had the right sentence. "
While the Argentinian said, he was a man with an extraordinary sense of humor. "Being with Borges was always a party, he was a lovely person and above all very funny, essentially a literary man, as Alfonso Reyes, that everything both related to literature".
In this sense, Adolfo Castañón said that without that sense of humor, Alfonso Reyes could not have left his great literary work, as well as El Colegio de Mexico, because in them he put all his heart.
Alifano and Castañón also recalled that both writers were never interested in fame and are two unique cases where their erudition, took them to Europe to talk about their own literature, for example, to the English of Shakespeare.
In fact, Castañón warned that if Borges did not win the Nobel Prize was because he knew too much, because he studied ancient Germanic literature, while Alifano considered that one of the great injustices was the fact that neither of them were given the award when other inferior writers had won it.
In the gathering, the writers delighted the audience with a two voices reading of the poem In memoriam that Borges wrote after the Mexican’s death: El vago azar o las precisas leyes (Vague chance or the precise laws) / Que rigen este sueño, el universo (That govern this dream, the universe) /Me permitieron compartir un terso (Granted me to share a smooth) / Trecho del curso con Alfonso Reyes (Stretch of the course with Alfonso Reyes) ".
Castañón said that this poem is a self-portrait of Borges himself with a variation of the poetic themes that the Argentinian addressed and Alifano pointed out that it is a beautiful poem in which the author is moved by evoking his close friend.
Finally they recalled that at the time these great writers lived, there was a great appreciation for Mexican poetry in Argentina, as evidenced by the fact that Borges knew by heart La suave patria, by Ramón López Velarde.
The commemoration on June 14th which is the 30th anniversary of Borges’s death will continue with various activities: the table-tribute Borges bibliófilo (Borges book lover) will take place in the Manuel M. Ponce hall of the Palace of Fine Arts, with the participation of Antonio del Toro, Christopher Domínguez Michael and Verónica Murguía.
A bibliographic exhibition with books of the author of Ficciones (Fictions) will be inaugurated at the Patio de Escritores of the Library of Mexico in Plaza de la Ciudadela, with works from the collections of Bibliotecas Personales.
In the meantime, the National Sound Archive will dedicate the audio of the day to Borges, with the talk that the Argentinian writer had in 1963 with Álvaro Castaño Castillo, a leading figure of cultural radio in Colombia. In addition, the podcast of the week will address the autor from June 13th to 19th.
Mexico,Distrito Federal
