“Some books should be tasted,” said Borges. Nevertheless, he made the Carnegie’s librarian, one Mr Dunne, most uneasy – not least by licking the spine of a volume of Sir Walter Scott. Borges was a former director of the Argentine National Library, and libraries feature prominently in his fiction. Then there was their visit to the Carnegie Library in Dunfermline. Borges drank several pints of beer before retiring and needed to visit the toilet several times during the night. The establishment’s single toilet was accessible only through the bedroom of the landlady, who was a light sleeper. In their B&B, the odd couple had to share a bed, which was small for a double. Also notable was a stop in Killiecrankie, a village on the way to the Cairngorm mountains. In this instance, relations were topsy-turvy: it was often Parini who found the company of his new friend challenging.Īmong the highlights was Borges’ involuntary dip in Loch Ness – he would insist on reciting poetry while standing up in a row boat. Sometimes stars find the attentions of fans irksome. It was a combination made for comic gold. When Parini hears of a friend’s death in Vietnam, Borges will comfort him in one of the most touching scenes in the book. Parini was endearingly impressionable and given to mooning over a female student who showed no sign of returning his affections. The heart of Borges and Me is the discussions the two men, one young and one old, have on literature, love, unrequired love, other authors, food, war, loss, and more. Borges was blind and brilliant, and frequently needed to stop to spend a penny.
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