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Jorge Luis Borges: The Aleph

“The Aleph” (El Aleph) is one of the most iconic short stories by Jorge Luis Borges, originally published in 1945 in the magazine Sur and later included in the 1949 collection of the same name. In this work, Borges explores the intersection between the infinite and the everyday. The story follows a protagonist obsessed with the memory of his beloved Beatriz Viterbo, who regularly visits the house where she once lived. There, he encounters her cousin, Carlos Argentino Daneri, a mediocre poet and library clerk. During one of these meetings, Daneri reveals the existence of an astonishing object: an “Aleph,” a point in space that contains all the points in the universe.

Mariana Enríquez: An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt

“An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt” (Pablito clavó un clavito: Una evocación del Petiso Orejudo) is an unsettling short story by Mariana Enríquez, published in the collection Las cosas que perdimos en el fuego (2016). The story centers on Pablo, a guide of macabre tours in Buenos Aires, who begins to see the specter of the Petiso Orejudo, an infamous murderer from the early twentieth century. The criminal’s supernatural apparition becomes a disturbing reflection of the protagonist’s personal and familial crisis. Enríquez intertwines historical horror with psychological terror, creating a dense and chilling atmosphere that explores obsession, guilt, and the loss of human connection.

Silvina Ocampo: The House Made of Sugar

“The House Made of Sugar” (La casa de azúcar) is a short story by Silvina Ocampo published in 1959 in the collection La furia. It tells the story of a newlywed couple who move into a house that appears to be new. The woman, Cristina, is deeply superstitious and phobic, which significantly influences her daily life. Her husband, trying to appease these obsessions, hides the true history of the house from her. As they settle in, unusual events begin to occur that gradually alter the dynamics of their relationship and their perception of their surroundings.

Julio Cortázar: Circe

“Circe” is a short story by Julio Cortázar, published in 1951 as part of the Bestiario collection. Dark rumors surround Delia Mañara, a young woman marked by the tragic deaths of her two former boyfriends. Mario, a neighbor in the neighborhood, decides to defend her from the gossip and begins to visit her, gradually entering the secretive world of the Mañaras. There, Delia attracts him with her unique culinary skills and domestic rituals, while the young man tries to unravel the enigma of a woman who seems to exert a disturbing influence on everything around her.

Julio Cortázar: A Yellow Flower

“A Yellow Flower” is a short story by Julio Cortázar, published in 1956 in the collection Final del juego. In a Paris bistro, a drunken man claims to have made an extraordinary discovery: we are immortal. As he tells it, the revelation came to him on a bus, when he recognized in a thirteen-year-old boy named Luc an exact replica of himself at that age—the same face, the same gestures, the same shyness, the same voice. Determined to investigate, he insinuates himself into the boy’s life: he visits his home and meets his family. As he learns more about Luc’s story, he finds astonishing parallels between their two lives, as though existence were repeating itself in endless cycles.

The Stories of Jorge Luis Borges

Descubre los mejores cuentos de Jorge Luis Borges, autor de relatos clásicos de la literatura Latinoamericana. Lee sus cuentos completos en línea o imprímelos en PDF.