The Congress (short story)
Encyclopedia
The Congress is a 1975
short story
by Argentine
writer
Jorge Luis Borges
. The story is on an utopic universal congress
and is seen by critics as a political
essay.
It was first published in the short story collection The Book of Sand
, with Borges claiming it to be "perhaps the most ambitious of the tales in this book." In Milan
, Franco María Ricci published the story in a deluxe edition
with the letters made of gold
.
The Congress was Borges' favourite of his stories, or one of his favourites:
in 1899 (Borges' birthdate). There he becomes a journalist
and friends with José Fernández Irala, one of his colleagues. One day, Irala invites him to a meeting at "The Congress". Ferri correctly assumes that he isn't referring to the Argentine National Congress
, but to something more exclusive.
At first, Ferri does not quite understand the purpose of "The Congress", which is led by an Uruguayan
man called Alexander Glencoe. Slowly he goes discovering, throughout the meetings, that the motivation behind the organization is that of creating and sustaining a universal congress capable of representing all of humanity
.
It is concluded that every group of human beings should have a representative. This leads to a dilemma: as any person fits into several categories, the members of what category should they represent? ("Don Alejandro Glencoe might represent not only cattlemen but also Uruguayans, and also human great forerunners and also men with red beards, and also those who are seated in armchairs.")
The second issue arises when it is pointed out that The Congress of the World should have its own library. Thus, two members are selected to settle which books should be included.
The third point that is considered is that of the official language under which The Congress should operate. Ferri himself and Fermín Eguren, whom Ferri disliked, are sent to London in search of information. Ferri considers Esperanto
, Volapük
, Latin
, and the language invented by John Wilkins
, but cannot manage to decide for one. In his stay at London, he falls in love with a woman named Beatrice Frost. Meanwhile, Glencoe starts building The Congress' official headquarters over some land he had in Uruguay.
On his return, Ferri discovers The Congress' warehouse to be full of all kinds of print text, as it was decided that every book, every magazine, every newspaper, every publication... Was a testimony of mankind and thus indispensable to The Congress.
In an unexpected twist, Glencoe suddenly decides to dissolve The Congress and orders that all the books be burnt
, as the enormity of The Congress' scope rendered it both practically impossible and useless. "The Congress of the World began with the first moment of the world and it will go on when we are dust."
1975 in literature
The year 1975 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* August 12 — with the 20-year time limit stipulated by Thomas Mann at his death having expired, sealed packets containing 32 of the author's notebooks were opened in Zurich, Switzerland.* Writing under the...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
writer
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
. The story is on an utopic universal congress
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations , or groups....
and is seen by critics as a political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
essay.
It was first published in the short story collection The Book of Sand
The Book of Sand (book)
The Book of Sand is a short story collection by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, published in 1975. According to the author's opinion, the collection, written in his last days , is his best book, an opinion not shared by most critics, who prefer his other works such as Ficciones.Referring to...
, with Borges claiming it to be "perhaps the most ambitious of the tales in this book." In Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Franco María Ricci published the story in a deluxe edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
with the letters made of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
.
The Congress was Borges' favourite of his stories, or one of his favourites:
Plot
Alexander Ferri, the story's narrator, arrives at Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1899 (Borges' birthdate). There he becomes a journalist
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and friends with José Fernández Irala, one of his colleagues. One day, Irala invites him to a meeting at "The Congress". Ferri correctly assumes that he isn't referring to the Argentine National Congress
Argentine National Congress
The Congress of the Argentine Nation is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies....
, but to something more exclusive.
At first, Ferri does not quite understand the purpose of "The Congress", which is led by an Uruguayan
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
man called Alexander Glencoe. Slowly he goes discovering, throughout the meetings, that the motivation behind the organization is that of creating and sustaining a universal congress capable of representing all of humanity
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
.
It is concluded that every group of human beings should have a representative. This leads to a dilemma: as any person fits into several categories, the members of what category should they represent? ("Don Alejandro Glencoe might represent not only cattlemen but also Uruguayans, and also human great forerunners and also men with red beards, and also those who are seated in armchairs.")
The second issue arises when it is pointed out that The Congress of the World should have its own library. Thus, two members are selected to settle which books should be included.
The third point that is considered is that of the official language under which The Congress should operate. Ferri himself and Fermín Eguren, whom Ferri disliked, are sent to London in search of information. Ferri considers Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
, Volapük
Volapük
Volapük is a constructed language, created in 1879–1880 by Johann Martin Schleyer, a Roman Catholic priest in Baden, Germany. Schleyer felt that God had told him in a dream to create an international language. Volapük conventions took place in 1884 , 1887 and 1889 . The first two conventions used...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and the language invented by John Wilkins
John Wilkins
John Wilkins FRS was an English clergyman, natural philosopher and author, as well as a founder of the Invisible College and one of the founders of the Royal Society, and Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death....
, but cannot manage to decide for one. In his stay at London, he falls in love with a woman named Beatrice Frost. Meanwhile, Glencoe starts building The Congress' official headquarters over some land he had in Uruguay.
On his return, Ferri discovers The Congress' warehouse to be full of all kinds of print text, as it was decided that every book, every magazine, every newspaper, every publication... Was a testimony of mankind and thus indispensable to The Congress.
In an unexpected twist, Glencoe suddenly decides to dissolve The Congress and orders that all the books be burnt
Book burning
Book burning, biblioclasm or libricide is the practice of destroying, often ceremoniously, books or other written material and media. In modern times, other forms of media, such as phonograph records, video tapes, and CDs have also been ceremoniously burned, torched, or shredded...
, as the enormity of The Congress' scope rendered it both practically impossible and useless. "The Congress of the World began with the first moment of the world and it will go on when we are dust."