Journalist: Good morning, Jorge. Welcome. Would you like to start telling us what is that you dispute in The Argentinian writer and the tradition / El escritor argentino y la tradición?
Borges: Thank you for receiving me. You can say my skepticism refers to the mere existence of the problem of what means writing like an Argentinian, and why gaucho-like poetry is considered typical writing.
Journalist: Why do you believe saying gaucho-like poetry identifies Argentinian literature is unsuitable?
Borges: In first place, nowadays people write a literature which is Argentine but that is really far from being gaucho-like. Also, this poetry is an artificial literary genre, because for example, Martín Fierro‘s author was a literate who imitated the speech of a gaucho.
Journalist: Then, what do you consider should be the Argentinian “traditional” writing?
Borges: I do not have any preference, though I do not believe gaucho-like poetry is the most suitable style, as I said before. In my text about national literature I explain that in Mahoma’s Alcorán camels are not mentioned. Mahoma, as an Arabian, he did not have to know camels were Arabic especially and that they would convert into the Arabic symbol; for him they were a part of reality. This means that an Argentine should not mention every aspect of Argentina so that the text is considered Argentinian.
Journalist: Interesting observation. In other words, you are saying anything written by a creole is national, although it may include foreign literature’s characteristics?
Borges: Exactly. I believe our tradition consists of all the occidental cultures, as our literature also include others [literatures].
Julia Maranzana, Bautista Remón, Valentina Muntaner, Nicolas Babaro, Facundo Krivanek y Julian Ayala
Profesora Clelia Colombo, Lengua y literatura