Recorded during Borges' final years, this third volume of his conversations with Osvaldo Ferrarioffers a rare glimpse intothe life and work of Argentina's master writer and favorite conversationalist. InConversations: Volume 3, Borges and Ferraridiscusssubjects as diverse asfilm criticism, fantastic literature,sciencefiction, the Argentinian literary tradition,andthe works ofwriters such asBunyan,Wilde,Joyce,and Yeats,among others.With his signature wit, Borgesconverses onthe philosophical basis of hiswriting, his travels, and his fascination with religious mysticism. He alsoruminateson more personal themes, including the influence of hisfamilyon his intellectual development, his friendships, and living with blindness.
The recurrent theme of these conversations, however, is a life lived through books. Borges draws on the resources of a mental library that embraces world literature, both ancient and modern. He recalls the works that were a constant presence in his memory and maps his changing attitudes to a highly personal canon. These conversations are a testimony to the supple ways that Borges explored his own relation to numerous traditions-the conjunction of his life, his lucidity, and his imagination.