Biographies of Villains

Name: Biographies of Villains
ISBN: 9787532762880

Jorge Luis Borges / 王永年Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaOct 2017

4.5

Word count: 34K words
Chapters: 61
ISBN: 9787532762880

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Summary

Borges's first work of fiction, published in 1935, tells the stories of "villains" from around the world—among them a slave trader in the American South, a New York gang leader, an English vagrant who impersonates a young man of a distinguished family, and even Kira Uenosuke, the master of etiquette in Japan's Edo shogunate era who insulted the lord of Akō and was ultimately avenged, and the Qing dynasty Chinese female pirate widow Zheng. Real historical backgrounds intertwine with the author's imagination to portray "anti-heroes" growing out of the messy corners of society.

Editor's review

A unique early work by Borges, The Universal History of Iniquity collects seven short stories modeled on infamous figures from history and legend. Compared with his later works, dense with philosophical speculation and labyrinthine structures, this collection is more direct and more narrative, yet its signature literary traits are already visible: playful subversion of historical truth, masterly control of narrative perspective, and a literary exploration of the concept of evil. Borges does not simply retell the lives of criminals; with a cold, precise, faintly ironic touch he places pirates, impostors, and killers—figures on the margins—in the ambiguous zone of history, probing the gaps between legend and fact, reputation and substance. Reading these stories, one feels not only the strangeness of their plots but also an intellectual pleasure—the author invites you to dismantle the fictionality of narrative itself. This book is a side door into Borges's literary universe, especially suited to readers who feel awed and deterred by his Ficciones: here one can glimpse the early form and essential appeal of his narrative art.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Borges who want to start with his more narrative works
Readers who love short stories, especially historical anecdotes and marginal figures
Literary lovers who appreciate a cold, concise style rich in intellectual humor
Thinkers curious about the literary representation of evil and the relationship between history and fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a traditional, long, coherent narrative or strong emotional immersion
Readers looking for light entertainment or purely escapist stories

Reading tips

Treat each story as an independent narrative experiment and note how Borges sketches a character in a few strokes and subverts expectations
Read alongside the endnotes to appreciate how Borges interweaves real historical sources with literary invention
After reading, compare with later works such as Ficciones and The Aleph to sense the evolution and deepening of his style and themes

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

版权信息
初版序言
一九五四年版序言
心狠手辣的解放者莫雷尔
源远流长
地点
众人
莫雷尔其人
行径
最终的自由
大祸临头
中断
难以置信的冒名者汤姆·卡斯特罗
受到崇拜的人死了
差别的优势
母子相会
愈显主荣
马车
幽灵
女海盗郑寡妇
十年磨一剑
指挥有方
年轻皇帝嘉庆发话
惊慌的海岸
龙与狐狸
精彩的结局
作恶多端的蒙克·伊斯曼
南美的打手
北美的打手
英雄
霸据一方
里文顿之役
咬牙切齿
伊斯曼对抗德国
神秘而合乎逻辑的结局
杀人不眨眼的比尔·哈里根
早年
到西部去！
一个墨西哥人的毁灭
为杀人而杀人
无礼的掌礼官上野介
松开的鞋带
佯装轻狂
剑疤
祭头
萨摩人
蒙面染工梅尔夫的哈基姆
紫红
公牛
豹子
蒙面先知
可憎的镜子
真面目
资料来源
玫瑰角的汉子
双梦记及其他
死去的神学家
存放雕像的房间
双梦记
往后靠的巫师
墨中镜

FAQ

Is this book a true historical biography?

Not strictly a historical biography. Borges draws on certain historical records or legendary figures, but he engages in extensive literary invention, reinvention, and shifts of perspective; his core intent is literary expression and philosophical inquiry, not the restoration of historical fact.

As an early work by Borges, can this book represent his style?

It represents an important side of Borges's style and a stage in its growth. Compared with later works, metaphysical speculation and labyrinthine structure are less prominent, but the concise language, the exploration of narrative possibilities, and the reflection on knowledge and fiction are already in evidence; it is an important link for understanding his creative development.

Are the stories full of violence and dark description?

Borges's treatment is quite restrained. He focuses more on the irony of his characters' fates, the absurdity of their actions, and the tension of the narrative itself than on graphic violence. His tone is cool, detached, even darkly humorous, aiming to provoke thought rather than sensory stimulation.

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About the author

Jorge Luis Borges Author · Argentina · 1899–1986

Jorge Luis Borges was an Argentine poet, fiction writer, essayist and translator. Born in Buenos Aires in 1899 and died in Geneva in 1986, he served as director of the National Library and held a post at the University of Buenos Aires. His short stories, notably those collected in The Garden of Forking Paths, The Aleph and The Book of Sand, often explore labyrinths, infinity, dreams and metaphysical themes, with intricate structures and a strong speculative bent. He was also a master of essays and criticism, writing in a concise, intellectually charged style. His works are widely classified as foreign literature and modern classics, and 53 titles are available in this collection.

王永年 Author

Wang Yongnian is a translator known to Chinese readers chiefly for his renderings of Borges's works. Public information about him is limited, and his dates of birth and death and educational background are not clearly documented. The collection includes twenty-three works associated with him, centered mainly on the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, such as Ficciones: The Garden of Forking Paths and Artifices, The Complete Works of Borges, Series One (16 volumes), The Garden of Forking Paths, The Aleph, A Universal History of Iniquity, The Book of Sand, Borges Interviews, and Shakespeare's Memory. These translations span short stories, essays, interviews, and lectures, and fall under the categories of foreign literature and classic works. His translations strive to preserve the labyrinthine narrative structures and philosophical density of Borges's texts, with concise yet fluent language that gives Chinese readers comparatively full access to the writer's imaginative world and speculative style.