"The Other" is a fantasy short story written by Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges.
The story was first published in 1972 and later collected in the anthology titled "The Book of Sand" (1975, English translation 1977).
Plot Summary
The narrative centers around an autobiographical encounter where Borges meets his 19-year-old self.
The meeting takes place in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The story explores a conversation between the young and older Borges.
Younger Borges: Expresses a romantic vision of a brotherhood of man.
Older Borges: Shows skepticism about the concept of a single man.
There is a mention of Dostoevsky's "The Double: A Petersburg Poem."
The younger Borges refers to this novella during their dialogue.
The older Borges concludes from incorrect information provided by the younger self that the incident is a real episode for him but merely a dream for the younger Borges.
Influences and References
The story is inspired by Giovanni Papini's "Two Reflections in a Pond."
There are parallels drawn to Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Double: A Petersburg Poem," explicitly referenced in the story.
Bibliography
The story is part of Borges' collection "The Book of Sand."
References
Kristal, Efran (2013). "The Book of Sand and Shakespeare's Memory". In Williamson, Edwin (ed.). "The Cambridge Companion to Jorge Luis Borges." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 164–165. ISBN 978-0-521-19339-9.