Borges and the Eternal Orangutans
5. Luis Fernando Verissimo, Borges and the Eternal Orangutans (trans. Margaret Jull Costa)
In this unusual spin on the detective story, the narrator Vogelstein is on his way to a literary conference in Buenos Aires. The conference, sponsored by the mysterious Israfel Society, is dedicated to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, and Vogelstein is delighted to have the chance to attend - especially when he learns that his idol, Jorge Luis Borges, will be there. However, the conference never actually takes place; one of the speakers, an intelligent but widely disliked professor, is found murdered in his hotel room on the first day of the conference. There are several strange aspects to the death, such as the unusual position of the victim’s body and an assortment of playing cards on the table. The murder provides Vogelstein and Borges with a unique opportunity to exercise their deductive skills, while also discussing literature, geography, ancient religions, and the occult.
This is a book I was required to read for class, and without that motivation I probably would never have picked it up. I’m so glad I did, though, because it was a very interesting and unique reading experience! I’ve only read one or two Poe stories and have barely come into contact with Borges, so I’m sure I missed a lot of great allusions and clues. Nevertheless, I was able to follow the thread of the story very well - and I even guessed the murderer quite early on, although the “how” and “why” mystified me until the end. The conversations between Vogelstein and Borges are amazingly intriguing, and the ivory-tower intellectualism contrasts nicely with the underlying mundane investigation of a crime. I would definitely recommend this book to people who like their mysteries complex and intellectually demanding. If you love Poe and/or Borges, I’m sure you’ll find even more to enjoy!