- published: 22 Mar 2013
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Ficciones is the most popular anthology of short stories by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges, often considered the best introduction to his work. Ficciones should not be confused with Labyrinths, although they have much in common. Labyrinths is a separate translation of Borges' material, by James E. Irby, that also appeared in 1962. Together, these two translations led to much of Borges' worldwide fame in the 60s. Several stories appear in both volumes. "The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim" was originally in History of Eternity (1936).
In 1941, Borges' first anthology of fiction, The Garden of Forking Paths (El Jardín de senderos que se bifurcan) was published. It contained eight stories. In 1944, a new section labeled "Artifices," containing six stories, was added to the eight of The Garden of Forking Paths. These were given the collective title Ficciones. Borges added three more stories to the "Artifices" section in the 1956 edition.
In 1948, the story The Garden of Forking Paths was translated into English by Anthony Boucher and published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. In 1962, Anthony Bonner produced an English translation of Ficciones.