what's the greatest short story ever written and why

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>>9886503
>he doesn't learn languages so he can read all his literature in the original language
I got you senpai

My favourite Borges story is The Story of the Warrior and the Captive Maiden. I like the core idea of it better than the idea of The Circular Ruins, albeit it's not as clever, and the description of Droctulft is some of the most evocative writing anyone has ever accomplished.

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>>9886525
Very nice.

I tried reading library of babel. I think the plot is ingenious I just can't pierce the writing itself. Got to like three pages before I started to think about porn

>>9886562
>I just can't pierce the writing itself
m8

>>9886486
Borges is such a God, honestly. He is the type of person that everyone should strive to be

>>9886525
Do all you guys on /lit/ ACTUALLY do this? Become semi-proficient in countless languages just to be able to read a few classic works that were written in them? Or have I misunderstood, and do you guys actually mean that you obtain a copy of the book which has both the original text and a word for word translation of it just beside it, so that you can "follow along" in the original language and get a much better sense of the true meaning and impact of the work? Kinda like how in the Kafka book I'm reading, the preface has a message regarding translation and explains how in the original german, which it shows the text for, the opening sentence of The Metamorphosis involves Kafka putting the word "transformed" right at the end of the sentence, in order to deepen the dramatic impact of the event he's describing, this being Gregor's waking up and discovering he's been turned into an insect. But this exact sentence can't be translated naturally into English, so the English sentence will not have this same impact, but in showing and explaining the original text I could get a better sense of Kafka's exact delivery.

Is this what you guys mean? It's such a Herculean task to learn a language just to be able to read literature within it, but I respect you all greatly if you indeed do this, though I myself could never.

>>9886685
I wish I could but no I don't do that, however if I would I would definitely learn Russian.

I have a similar book of Kafka's letter to his father which has it written in German on one side and English on the other, giving me his exact delivery, so honestly rather than take the time to learn a new language JUST for reading I might just pick up a side by side book when available like that one.

Bartleby

>>9886565
I know. You know when you find yourself rereading sentences, starting paragraphs over, start thinking while reading and then forget where to story over. I'ma try again , not gonna let the stink eye confabulate my reading comprehension, damgeniuses

>>9886486
Gogol -The Overcoat

>>9886685
>the opening sentence of The Metamorphosis involves Kafka putting the word "transformed" right at the end of the sentence, in order to deepen the dramatic impact of the event he's describing, this being Gregor's waking up and discovering he's been turned into an insect.
pseud

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>>9886486
close, but the library of babel is better.

>>9886562
try again, it's like 12 pages long.

>>9886937
This guy knows.