Evaristo Carriego - Jorge Luis Borges

Summary

"Evaristo Carriego" is a unique work by Jorge Luis Borges that defies easy categorization. It is primarily a biographical and critical essay on the minor Argentine poet Evaristo Carriego (1883-1912), whom Borges admired in his youth. However, the book expands far beyond a simple biography. Borges uses Carriego's life and poetry as a lens through which to explore the Buenos Aires of his own childhood and adolescence, particularly the suburban "arrabal" (outskirts) neighborhoods like Palermo.

The "plot" is an intellectual journey where Borges intertwines literary criticism, personal memoir, cultural history, and philosophical reflections. He delves into the mythology of the early 20th-century Buenos Aires, examining figures like the "compadrito" (a proud, often violent street tough), the origins and significance of tango, and the evolution of the city itself. Borges analyzes Carriego's efforts to capture the essence of this changing urban landscape and its characters in his verse, often critiquing his sentimentality while appreciating his sincere connection to the popular imagination. The book ultimately serves as a nostalgic yet critical evocation of a vanished era and a profound meditation on memory, identity, and the creation of national myths through literature.

Book Sections

Section 1: Buenos Aires and Myself

Borges begins by setting a deeply personal and evocative tone, situating himself within the mythical Buenos Aires of his childhood, particularly the Palermo neighborhood. He describes the sprawling, unpaved streets, the low houses with their patios, and the pervasive sense of a city that was still partly rural, full of open spaces and a distinct, almost legendary atmosphere. He reflects on his family history and his own early experiences, establishing the nostalgic, personal connection to the city that will frame his exploration of Carriego. This section establishes Borges's methodology: blending personal memory with an analytical gaze.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Jorge Luis Borges	Reflective, nostalgic, intellectual, analytical	To evoke a lost world, understand the myths of his youth, connect personal memory with cultural history.

Section 2: History of the Tango

This section delves into the origins and evolution of the tango, not merely as a dance or musical form, but as a profound cultural expression of Buenos Aires. Borges traces its roots to the brothels and the early milongas (dance halls), connecting it directly to the figure of the compadrito. He describes how the tango, initially raw and improvisational, developed its characteristic rhythm and melancholy, reflecting the machismo, the codes of honor, and the subtle violence of the "arrabal." He emphasizes that tango is not just music, but a narrative of the city's underbelly, a musical embodiment of its particular character.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Compadrito	Proud, often violent, governed by a personal code of honor, street-wise, defiant.	To assert his place, defend his honor, live by an unwritten code, express his identity through dance and confrontation.

Section 3: The "Cuchilleros"

Borges further elaborates on the figure of the "cuchillero" or "compadrito," the knife-wielder, who is central to the mythology of early Buenos Aires. He describes these men as embodying a specific, often brutal, code of honor, where personal courage and the swift use of a knife determined one's standing. He portrays them as tragic, romantic figures, detached from formal law but bound by their own rigorous, if violent, ethics. Borges examines how this figure, born of the city's outskirts, became an essential part of the porteño (Buenos Aires native) identity, often glorified in popular songs and stories. He distinguishes them from common criminals, highlighting their emphasis on a perverse form of chivalry and individual prowess.

Section 4: Evaristo Carriego

This section introduces Evaristo Carriego as the central subject of the book. Borges presents Carriego as a poet who, despite his relatively minor literary stature, profoundly captured the spirit of the "arrabal" and its inhabitants. Borges acknowledges Carriego's technical flaws and sentimentality but praises his sincerity and his intuitive grasp of the popular imagination. He highlights Carriego's humble background and his ambition to be the poet of the people, expressing their daily lives, their loves, and their simple tragedies.

Character	Characteristics	Motivations
Evaristo Carriego	Poet, sentimental, observant, ambitious, deeply rooted in the "arrabal."	To capture the essence of his neighborhood and its people in verse, to achieve recognition as a popular poet.

Section 5: The "Rosicler" House

Borges describes Carriego's childhood home in Palermo, known as the "Rosicler" house, painting it as a symbol of the poet's world and the changing suburb. He evokes the atmosphere of the house, its inhabitants, and the daily life that inspired Carriego's poetry. This section is an example of Borges's ability to imbue mundane details with mythical significance, turning a specific house into a focal point for understanding the cultural landscape Carriego observed and wrote about.

Section 6: Carriego and the Neighborhood

This part delves deeper into Carriego's relationship with his neighborhood and its people. Borges discusses how Carriego viewed himself as the voice of Palermo, translating its unspoken narratives into verse. He explores Carriego's poetic themes: the melancholy of the suburbs, the lives of the working class, the forgotten corners of the city, and the sense of a shared history. Borges analyses specific poems, showing how Carriego used everyday language and familiar imagery to connect with his audience, even if his artistic execution sometimes fell short.

Section 7: The "Milongas" and the "Arrabal"

Borges returns to the topic of the milonga (the music and dance form, and also the place where it was performed) and the "arrabal," further emphasizing their interconnectedness. He shows how Carriego's poetry, though not explicitly about tango, resonated with the same themes and moods that gave birth to the milonga. The "arrabal" is presented as a crucible of Argentine identity, a place where European influences mingled with local customs to create something distinctly porteño, and Carriego was its chronicler.

Section 8: The Sentimental Carriego

Borges dedicates a section to analyzing Carriego's prominent sentimental streak. While he often finds Carriego's sentimentality to be excessive or bordering on cliché, Borges also recognizes its authenticity and its appeal to the popular imagination. He argues that this very sentimentality was a genuine reflection of the emotional landscape of the "arrabal," a necessary component of Carriego's attempt to be a popular poet. Borges contrasts this with his own more austere literary sensibilities, providing critical distance while still appreciating Carriego's unique contribution.

Section 9: The Encounter

This section is perhaps the most personal, where Borges recounts his own brief, indirect "encounter" with Carriego. He describes seeing Carriego in a cafe or passing by, a moment of profound significance for the young Borges who admired the poet. This fleeting glimpse solidifies Carriego's mythical status in Borges's mind, transforming him from a mere writer into an embodiment of the era and the culture Borges later sought to understand and immortalize. It highlights the influence Carriego had on Borges's early literary imagination.

Section 10: Conclusion

Borges concludes by reiterating Carriego's unique position in Argentine literature, acknowledging his limitations but affirming his enduring importance as a poet who gave voice to a specific time and place. He reflects on how literature, even imperfect literature, can create and preserve myths that shape a nation's self-understanding. The book ends not just as a biography of Carriego, but as Borges's own homage to the "arrabal" and its capacity to inspire poetry and define identity. It is a testament to the power of memory and the enduring legacy of seemingly minor figures in shaping the larger cultural narrative.

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Genre: Biographical Essay, Literary Criticism, Cultural History, Memoir.

About the Author:
Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet, and translator, and a key figure in Spanish-language literature and universal literature. His works explore universal themes such as dreams, labyrinths, libraries, mirrors, fictional writers, philosophy, and religion. He is celebrated for his unique blend of philosophical speculation and fantastic narrative, often presented with meticulous, scholarly prose. Borges received numerous awards, though famously never the Nobel Prize in Literature. His influence on 20th-century literature is immense, inspiring writers across genres and languages.

Morale of the Book:
The book doesn't offer a traditional moral, but rather several profound insights:

• The Power of Myth: Literature, even when imperfect or sentimental, plays a crucial role in creating and preserving the myths that define a culture and its identity.
• The Subjectivity of Memory: Our understanding of the past is deeply intertwined with personal memory, nostalgia, and individual interpretation, making history a fluid and often subjective narrative.
• The Significance of the "Minor": Seemingly minor figures or aspects of culture can hold profound significance, serving as windows into broader truths about a society or an era.
• The Interplay of Art and Life: Art (poetry, tango) emerges from and shapes the lived experience of a people, reflecting their aspirations, struggles, and codes of honor.

Curiosities of the Book:

• Borges's Early Work: "Evaristo Carriego" (1930) is one of Borges's earlier non-fiction works, showcasing his nascent literary style and his deep engagement with Argentine identity before he fully developed his more famous fantastical and philosophical short stories.
• Personal and Critical Blend: The book is remarkable for its seamless blending of literary criticism with deeply personal memoir. Borges is not just an analyst; he is a participant in the nostalgic evocation of a lost Buenos Aires.
• Rehabilitation of a Poet: Carriego was a relatively minor poet, often dismissed for his sentimentality. Borges, through this book, effectively gave him a lasting place in Argentine literary history, not necessarily as a great poet, but as an essential chronicler of his time.
• Origins of Borges's Themes: Many of Borges's later recurring themes, such as the compadrito code of honor, the labyrinthine streets of Buenos Aires, and the blurred lines between reality and fiction, find their early roots and explorations in this book.
• Tango Scholarship: Borges's sections on the history of tango are considered significant contributions to the understanding of the dance's origins and cultural meaning, offering insights that go beyond mere musicology.