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class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Quine's_reduction" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Quine's_reduction"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Quine's reduction</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Quine's_reduction-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Comparison_with_biology" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Comparison_with_biology"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Comparison with biology</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Comparison_with_biology-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Influence_on_later_works" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Influence_on_later_works"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Influence on later works</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Influence_on_later_works-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet 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Available in 22 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-22" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">22 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Bibliothek_von_Babel" title="Die Bibliothek von Babel – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Die Bibliothek von Babel" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%97_%CE%B2%CE%B9%CE%B2%CE%BB%CE%B9%CE%BF%CE%B8%CE%AE%CE%BA%CE%B7_%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%92%CE%B1%CE%B2%CE%AD%CE%BB" title="Η βιβλιοθήκη της Βαβέλ – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Η βιβλιοθήκη της Βαβέλ" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_biblioteca_de_Babel" title="La biblioteca de Babel – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="La biblioteca de Babel" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblioteko_de_Babelo" title="Biblioteko de Babelo – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Biblioteko de Babelo" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%A9%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87_%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84" title="کتابخانه بابل – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="کتابخانه بابل" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Biblioth%C3%A8que_de_Babel" title="La Bibliothèque de Babel – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="La Bibliothèque de Babel" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hy mw-list-item"><a href="https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D4%B2%D5%A1%D5%A2%D5%A5%D5%AC%D5%B8%D5%B6%D5%B5%D5%A1%D5%B6_%D5%A3%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%A4%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%B6" title="Բաբելոնյան գրադարան – Armenian" lang="hy" hreflang="hy" data-title="Բաբելոնյան գրադարան" data-language-autonym="Հայերեն" data-language-local-name="Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Հայերեն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_biblioteca_di_Babele" title="La biblioteca di Babele – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="La biblioteca di Babele" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1beli_k%C3%B6nyvt%C3%A1r" title="Bábeli könyvtár – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Bábeli könyvtár" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Вавилонската библиотека – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Вавилонската библиотека" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_bibliotheek_van_Babel" title="De bibliotheek van Babel – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="De bibliotheek van Babel" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%90%E3%83%99%E3%83%AB%E3%81%AE%E5%9B%B3%E6%9B%B8%E9%A4%A8" title="バベルの図書館 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="バベルの図書館" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblioteka_Babel" title="Biblioteka Babel – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Biblioteka Babel" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_biblioteca_de_Babel" title="La biblioteca de Babel – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="La biblioteca de Babel" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Вавилонская библиотека – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Вавилонская библиотека" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Вавилонска библиотека – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Вавилонска библиотека" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sh mw-list-item"><a href="https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vavilonska_biblioteka" title="Vavilonska biblioteka – Serbo-Croatian" lang="sh" hreflang="sh" data-title="Vavilonska biblioteka" data-language-autonym="Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски" data-language-local-name="Serbo-Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblioteket_i_Babel" title="Biblioteket i Babel – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Biblioteket i Babel" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babil_K%C3%BCt%C3%BCphanesi" title="Babil Kütüphanesi – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Babil Kütüphanesi" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%B1%D1%96%D0%B1%D0%BB%D1%96%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B0" title="Вавилонська бібліотека – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Вавилонська бібліотека" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vls mw-list-item"><a href="https://vls.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_biblioteke_van_Babel" title="De biblioteke van Babel – West Flemish" lang="vls" hreflang="vls" data-title="De biblioteke van Babel" data-language-autonym="West-Vlams" data-language-local-name="West Flemish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>West-Vlams</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a 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<div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Short story by Jorge Luis Borges</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For the website created by Jonathan Basile, see <a href="/wiki/The_Library_of_Babel_(website)" title="The Library of Babel (website)">The Library of Babel (website)</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above summary" style="font-size:125%; background: #ededed;">"The Library of Babel"</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-subheader" style="font-weight: bold; background:whitesmoke;"><a href="/wiki/Short_story" title="Short story">Short story</a> by <a href="/wiki/Jorge_Luis_Borges" title="Jorge Luis Borges">Jorge Luis Borges</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="/wiki/File:The_library_of_babel_-_bookcover.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/The_library_of_babel_-_bookcover.jpg/220px-The_library_of_babel_-_bookcover.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="327" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/The_library_of_babel_-_bookcover.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="259" data-file-height="385" /></a></span><div class="infobox-caption">English edition cover, with illustration by <a href="/wiki/%C3%89rik_Desmazi%C3%A8res" title="Érik Desmazières">Érik Desmazières</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Original title</th><td class="infobox-data"><i>La biblioteca de Babel</i></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Translator</th><td class="infobox-data">numerous</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Country</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Argentina" title="Argentina">Argentina</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Language</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Spanish_language" title="Spanish language">Spanish</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Genre(s)</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Fantasy" title="Fantasy">Fantasy</a></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background: #ededed;">Publication</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Published in</th><td class="infobox-data"><i>El Jardín de senderos que se bifurcan</i></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Publisher</th><td class="infobox-data">Editorial Sur</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Publication date</th><td class="infobox-data">1941</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap">Published in English</th><td class="infobox-data">1962</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>"<b>The Library of Babel</b>" (<a href="/wiki/Spanish_language" title="Spanish language">Spanish</a>: <i lang="es">La biblioteca de Babel</i>) is a <a href="/wiki/Short_story" title="Short story">short story</a> by <a href="/wiki/Argentina" title="Argentina">Argentine</a> author and librarian <a href="/wiki/Jorge_Luis_Borges" title="Jorge Luis Borges">Jorge Luis Borges</a> (1899–1986), conceiving of a universe in the form of a vast library containing all possible 410-page books of a certain format and <a href="/wiki/Character_set" class="mw-redirect" title="Character set">character set</a>. </p><p>The story was originally published in Spanish in Borges' <a href="/wiki/1941_in_literature" title="1941 in literature">1941</a> collection of stories <i><a href="/wiki/The_Garden_of_Forking_Paths" title="The Garden of Forking Paths">El jardín de senderos que se bifurcan</a></i> (<i>The Garden of Forking Paths</i>). That entire book was, in turn, included within his much-reprinted <i><a href="/wiki/Ficciones" title="Ficciones">Ficciones</a></i> (<a href="/wiki/1944_in_literature" title="1944 in literature">1944</a>). Two <a href="/wiki/English_language" title="English language">English-language</a> translations appeared approximately simultaneously in <a href="/wiki/1962_in_literature" title="1962 in literature">1962</a>, one by James E. Irby in a diverse collection of Borges's works titled <i><a href="/wiki/Labyrinths_(short_story_collection)" title="Labyrinths (short story collection)">Labyrinths</a></i> and the other by Anthony Kerrigan as part of a collaborative translation of the entirety of <i>Ficciones</i>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Plot">Plot</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Plot"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Borges' narrator describes how his universe consists of an enormous expanse of adjacent <a href="/wiki/Hexagon" title="Hexagon">hexagonal</a> rooms. In each room, there is an opening in the floor to the hexagons above and below, four walls of bookshelves, and two junctions between hexagons each containing a latrine, a sleeping closet, and a stairwell. Though the order and content of the books are random and apparently completely meaningless, the inhabitants believe that the books contain every possible ordering of just 25 basic <a href="/wiki/Grapheme" title="Grapheme">characters</a> (22 letters, the period, the comma, and space). Though the vast majority of the books in this universe are pure <a href="/wiki/Gibberish" title="Gibberish">gibberish</a>, the laws of probability dictate that the library also must contain, somewhere, every coherent book ever written, or that might ever be written, and every possible <a href="/wiki/Permutation" title="Permutation">permutation</a> or slightly erroneous version of every one of those books. The narrator notes that the library must contain all useful information, including predictions of the future, biographies of any person, and translations of every book in all <a href="/wiki/Language" title="Language">languages</a>. Conversely, for many of the texts, some language could be devised that would make it readable with any of a vast number of different contents. </p><p>Despite these theories, all books are functionally totally useless to the reader, as any correct, legible text that can exist occurs due to pure chance and must exist alongside countless completely incorrect writings. This leads to many <a href="/wiki/Superstition" title="Superstition">superstitions</a>, <a href="/wiki/Cult" title="Cult">cults</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Heresies" class="mw-redirect" title="Heresies">heresies</a> within the wider <a href="/wiki/Organized_religion" title="Organized religion">organized religion</a> of the library; The "Purifiers" arbitrarily destroy books they deem nonsense as they scour through the library seeking the "Crimson Hexagon" and its illustrated, magical books. Others believe that since all books exist in the library, somewhere one of the books must be a perfect index of the library's contents; some even believe that a <a href="/wiki/Messianic_figure" class="mw-redirect" title="Messianic figure">messianic figure</a> known as the "Man of the Book" has read it, and they travel through the library seeking him. The narrator notes the population of the library has been gravely decimated by centuries of religious conflict and disease, but maintains his faith in the beauty and organization of the library as undeniable proof of a <a href="/wiki/God" title="God">God</a> or other <a href="/wiki/Demiurge" title="Demiurge">demiurge</a>, reaffirming his own attempts to find some ultimate meaning to the library and humanity's existence within it. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Themes">Themes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Themes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Jorge_Luis_Borges.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Jorge_Luis_Borges.jpg/220px-Jorge_Luis_Borges.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="377" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Jorge_Luis_Borges.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="292" data-file-height="500" /></a><figcaption>Borges in 1967</figcaption></figure> <p>The story repeats the theme of Borges' <a href="/wiki/1939_in_literature" title="1939 in literature">1939</a> essay "<a href="/wiki/The_Total_Library" class="mw-redirect" title="The Total Library">The Total Library</a>" ("La Biblioteca Total"), which in turn acknowledges the earlier development of this theme by <a href="/wiki/Kurd_Lasswitz" title="Kurd Lasswitz">Kurd Lasswitz</a> in his <a href="/wiki/1901_in_literature" title="1901 in literature">1901</a> story "The Universal Library" ("Die Universalbibliothek"): </p> <blockquote><p>Certain examples that <a href="/wiki/Aristotle" title="Aristotle">Aristotle</a> attributes to <a href="/wiki/Democritus" title="Democritus">Democritus</a> and <a href="/wiki/Leucippus" title="Leucippus">Leucippus</a> clearly prefigure it, but its belated inventor is <a href="/wiki/Gustav_Theodor_Fechner" class="mw-redirect" title="Gustav Theodor Fechner">Gustav Theodor Fechner</a>, and its first exponent, <a href="/wiki/Kurd_Lasswitz" title="Kurd Lasswitz">Kurd Lasswitz</a>. [...] In his book <i>The Race with the Tortoise</i> (Berlin, 1919), Dr <a href="/wiki/Theodor_Wolff" title="Theodor Wolff">Theodor Wolff</a> suggests that it is a derivation from, or a parody of, <a href="/wiki/Ram%C3%B3n_Llull" class="mw-redirect" title="Ramón Llull">Ramón Llull</a>'s thinking machine [...] The elements of his game are the universal orthographic symbols, not the words of a language [...] Lasswitz arrives at twenty-five symbols (twenty-two letters, the space, the period, the comma), whose recombinations and repetitions encompass everything possible to express in all languages. The totality of such variations would form a Total Library of astronomical size. Lasswitz urges mankind to construct that inhuman library, which chance would organize and which would eliminate intelligence. (Wolff's <i>The Race with the Tortoise</i> expounds the execution and the dimensions of that impossible enterprise.)<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>Many of Borges' signature motifs are featured in the story, including <a href="/wiki/Infinity" title="Infinity">infinity</a>, <a href="/wiki/Reality" title="Reality">reality</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kabbalah" title="Kabbalah">cabalistic reasoning</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Labyrinth" title="Labyrinth">labyrinths</a>. The concept of the library is often compared to <a href="/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem" title="Infinite monkey theorem">Borel's dactylographic monkey theorem</a>. There is no reference to monkeys or typewriters in "The Library of Babel", although Borges had mentioned that analogy in "The Total Library": "[A] half-dozen monkeys provided with typewriters would, in a few eternities, produce all the books in the <a href="/wiki/British_Museum" title="British Museum">British Museum</a>." In this story, the closest equivalent is the line, "A blasphemous sect suggested [...] that all men should juggle letters and symbols until they constructed, by an improbable gift of chance, these canonical books." Borges makes an oblique reference to reproducing Shakespeare, as the only decipherable sentence in one of the books in the library, "O time thy pyramids", is surely taken from Shakespeare's <a href="/wiki/Sonnet_123" title="Sonnet 123">Sonnet 123</a> which opens with the lines "No Time, thou shalt not boast that I do change, Thy pyramids...". </p><p>Borges would examine a similar idea in his 1976 story, "<a href="/wiki/The_Book_of_Sand" title="The Book of Sand">The Book of Sand</a>", in which there is an infinite book (or book with an indefinite number of pages) rather than an infinite library. Moreover, the story's <i>Book of Sand</i> is said to be written in an unknown alphabet and its content is not obviously random. In The Library of Babel, Borges interpolates Italian mathematician <a href="/wiki/Bonaventura_Cavalieri" title="Bonaventura Cavalieri">Bonaventura Cavalieri</a>'s suggestion that any solid body could be conceptualized as the superimposition of an infinite number of planes. </p><p>The concept of the library is also overtly analogous to the view of the universe as a <a href="/wiki/Sphere" title="Sphere">sphere</a> having its center everywhere and its <a href="/wiki/Circumference" title="Circumference">circumference</a> nowhere. The <a href="/wiki/Mathematician" title="Mathematician">mathematician</a> and <a href="/wiki/Philosopher" class="mw-redirect" title="Philosopher">philosopher</a> <a href="/wiki/Blaise_Pascal" title="Blaise Pascal">Blaise Pascal</a> employed this <a href="/wiki/Metaphor" title="Metaphor">metaphor</a>, and in an earlier essay Borges noted that Pascal's manuscript called the sphere <i>effroyable,</i> or "frightful". </p><p>In any case, a library containing <i>all</i> possible books, arranged at random, might as well be a library containing <i>zero</i> books, as any true information would be buried in, and rendered indistinguishable from, all possible forms of false information; the experience of opening to any page of any of the library's books has been simulated by websites which create screenfuls of random letters.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The quote at the beginning of the story, "By this art you may contemplate the variation of the twenty-three letters," is from <a href="/wiki/Robert_Burton_(scholar)" class="mw-redirect" title="Robert Burton (scholar)">Robert Burton</a>'s 1621 <i><a href="/wiki/The_Anatomy_of_Melancholy" title="The Anatomy of Melancholy">The Anatomy of Melancholy</a></i>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Philosophical_implications">Philosophical implications</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Philosophical implications"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Infinite_extent">Infinite extent</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Infinite extent"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In mainstream theories of natural language syntax, every syntactically valid utterance can be extended to produce a new, longer one, because of <a href="/wiki/Recursion#In_language" title="Recursion">recursion</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, the books in the Library of Babel are of bounded length ("each book is of four hundred and ten pages; each page, of forty lines, each line, of some eighty letters"), so the Library can only contain a finite number of distinct strings. Borges' narrator notes this fact, but believes that the Library is nevertheless infinite; he speculates that it repeats itself periodically, giving an eventual "order" to the "disorder" of the seemingly random arrangement of books. Mathematics professor William Goldbloom Bloch confirms the narrator's intuition, deducing in his popular mathematics book <i><a href="/wiki/The_Unimaginable_Mathematics_of_Borges%27_Library_of_Babel" title="The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel">The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel</a></i> that the library's structure necessarily has at least one room whose shelves are not full (because the number of books per room does not divide the total number of books evenly), and the rooms on each floor of the library must either be connected into a single <a href="/wiki/Hamiltonian_cycle" class="mw-redirect" title="Hamiltonian cycle">Hamiltonian cycle</a>, or possibly be disconnected into subsets that cannot reach each other.<sup id="cite_ref-hayes_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-hayes-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Quine's_reduction"><span id="Quine.27s_reduction"></span>Quine's reduction</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Quine's reduction"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/W._V._O._Quine" class="mw-redirect" title="W. V. O. Quine">W. V. O. Quine</a> notes that the Library of Babel is finite, and that any text that does not fit in a single book can be reconstructed by finding a second book with the continuation. The size of the alphabet can be reduced by using <a href="/wiki/Morse_code" title="Morse code">Morse code</a> even though it makes the books more verbose; the size of the books can also be reduced by splitting each into multiple volumes and discarding the duplicates. Writes Quine, "The ultimate absurdity is now staring us in the face: a universal library of two volumes, one containing a single dot and the other a dash. Persistent repetition and alternation of the two are sufficient, we well know, for spelling out any and every truth. The miracle of the finite but universal library is a mere inflation of the miracle of binary notation: everything worth saying, and everything else as well, can be said with two characters."<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Comparison_with_biology">Comparison with biology</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Comparison with biology"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The full possible set of protein sequences (<a href="/wiki/Sequence_space_(evolution)" title="Sequence space (evolution)">protein sequence space</a>) has been compared to the Library of Babel.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In the <i>Library of Babel</i>, finding any book that made sense was almost impossible due to the sheer number and lack of order. The same would be true of protein sequences if it were not for natural selection, which has picked out only protein sequences that make sense. Additionally, each protein sequence is surrounded by a set of neighbors (point mutants) that are likely to have at least some function. <a href="/wiki/Daniel_Dennett" title="Daniel Dennett">Daniel Dennett</a>'s 1995 book <i><a href="/wiki/Darwin%27s_Dangerous_Idea" title="Darwin's Dangerous Idea">Darwin's Dangerous Idea</a></i> includes an elaboration of the Library of Babel concept to imagine the set of all possible genetic sequences, which he calls the Library of Mendel, in order to illustrate the mathematics of <a href="/wiki/Genetic_variation" title="Genetic variation">genetic variation</a>. Dennett uses this concept again later in the book to imagine all possible algorithms that can be included in his <a href="/wiki/Toshiba" title="Toshiba">Toshiba</a> computer, which he calls the Library of Toshiba. He describes the Library of Mendel and the Library of Toshiba as subsets within the Library of Babel. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Influence_on_later_works">Influence on later works</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Influence on later works"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/%C3%89rik_Desmazi%C3%A8res" title="Érik Desmazières">Érik Desmazières</a> provided etched illustrations for a 1997 edition of the short story, depicting the library as literally built in the shape of <a href="/wiki/The_Tower_of_Babel_(Bruegel)" title="The Tower of Babel (Bruegel)">Bruegel's <i>Tower of Babel</i></a>.</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Umberto_Eco" title="Umberto Eco">Umberto Eco</a>'s postmodern novel <i><a href="/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Rose" title="The Name of the Rose">The Name of the Rose</a></i> (1980) features a labyrinthine library, presided over by a blind monk named Jorge of Burgos. The room is, however, octagonal in shape.</li> <li>Russell Standish's <i>Theory of Nothing</i><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> uses the concept of the Library of Babel to illustrate how an <a href="/wiki/Ultimate_ensemble" class="mw-redirect" title="Ultimate ensemble">ultimate ensemble</a> containing all possible descriptions would in sum contain zero information and would thus be the simplest possible explanation for the existence of the universe. This theory, therefore, implies the reality of all universes.</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Unimaginable_Mathematics_of_Borges%27_Library_of_Babel" title="The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel">The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel</a></i> (2008) by <a href="/w/index.php?title=William_Goldbloom_Bloch&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="William Goldbloom Bloch (page does not exist)">William Goldbloom Bloch</a> explores the short story from a mathematical perspective. Bloch analyzes the hypothetical library presented by Borges using the ideas of <a href="/wiki/Topology" title="Topology">topology</a>, <a href="/wiki/Information_theory" title="Information theory">information theory</a>, and geometry.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>In <a href="/wiki/Greg_Bear" title="Greg Bear">Greg Bear</a>'s novel <i><a href="/wiki/City_at_the_End_of_Time" title="City at the End of Time">City at the End of Time</a></i> (2008), the sum-runners carried by the protagonists are intended by their creator to be combined to form a 'Babel', an infinite library containing every possible permutation of every possible character in every possible language. Bear has stated that this was inspired by Borges, who is also namechecked in the novel. Borges is described as an unknown Argentinian who commissioned an encyclopedia of impossible things, a reference to either "<a href="/wiki/Tl%C3%B6n,_Uqbar,_Orbis_Tertius" title="Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius">Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius</a>" or the <i><a href="/wiki/Book_of_Imaginary_Beings" title="Book of Imaginary Beings">Book of Imaginary Beings</a></i>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (March 2023)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Library_of_Babel_(website)" title="The Library of Babel (website)">The Library of Babel</a>, a website created by <a href="/w/index.php?title=Jonathan_Basile&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jonathan Basile (page does not exist)">Jonathan Basile</a>, emulates an English-language version of Borges' library. An algorithm he created generates a "book" by iterating every permutation of 29 characters: the 26 English letters, space, comma, and period. Each book is marked by a coordinate, corresponding to its place on the hexagonal library (hexagon name, wall number, shelf number, and book name) so that every book can be found at the same place every time. The website is said to contain "all possible pages of 3200 characters, about 10<sup>4677</sup> books".<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For example, a coordinate may look like "389fj39l-w4-s5-v32" where, "389fj39l" is the hexagon name, "w4" specifies wall 4, "s5" specifies shelf 5, and "v32" specifies volume 32.</li> <li>In <a href="/wiki/Steven_L._Peck" title="Steven L. Peck">Steven L. Peck</a>'s novella <i>A Short Stay In Hell</i> (2009), the protagonist must find the book of his life's story in a library containing every possible book. Borges' story is mentioned directly, although the library is structured very differently. It is also explicitly finite in size, though it is more than a million <a href="/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude" class="mw-redirect" title="Orders of magnitude">orders of magnitude</a> larger than the <a href="/wiki/Observable_universe" title="Observable universe">observable universe</a>.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Encyclopedia_Galactica" title="Encyclopedia Galactica">Encyclopedia Galactica</a></i> (Asimov)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Akashic_Records" class="mw-redirect" title="Akashic Records">Akashic Records</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem" title="Infinite monkey theorem">Infinite monkey theorem</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Law_of_truly_large_numbers" title="Law of truly large numbers">Law of truly large numbers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Normal_number" title="Normal number">Normal number</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Library_of_Babel_(website)" title="The Library of Babel (website)">The Library of Babel (website)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Universal_library" title="Universal library">Universal library</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Brain" title="World Brain">World Brain</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Borges, Jorge Luis. <i>The Total Library: Non-Fiction 1922–1986.</i> Allen Lane The Penguin Press, London, 2000. Pages 214–216. Translated by Eliot Weinberger.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">See <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://libraryofbabel.info/">https://libraryofbabel.info/</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFNoam,_Chomsky1969" class="citation book cs1">Noam, Chomsky (1969) [1965]. <i>Aspects of the theory of syntax</i> (1st pbk. ed.). Cambridge: M.I.T. Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780262030113" title="Special:BookSources/9780262030113"><bdi>9780262030113</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/12964950">12964950</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Aspects+of+the+theory+of+syntax&rft.place=Cambridge&rft.edition=1st+pbk.&rft.pub=M.I.T.+Press&rft.date=1969&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F12964950&rft.isbn=9780262030113&rft.au=Noam%2C+Chomsky&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThe+Library+of+Babel" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-hayes-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-hayes_4-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHayes2009" class="citation cs2"><a href="/wiki/Brian_Hayes_(scientist)" title="Brian Hayes (scientist)">Hayes, Brian</a> (January–February 2009), "Books-a-million (review of <i>The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel</i>)", <i><a href="/wiki/American_Scientist" title="American Scientist">American Scientist</a></i>, <b>97</b> (1): 78–79, <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1511%2F2009.76.78">10.1511/2009.76.78</a>, <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27859279">27859279</a></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=American+Scientist&rft.atitle=Books-a-million+%28review+of+The+Unimaginable+Mathematics+of+Borges%27+Library+of+Babel%29&rft.volume=97&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=78-79&rft.date=2009-01%2F2009-02&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1511%2F2009.76.78&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F27859279%23id-name%3DJSTOR&rft.aulast=Hayes&rft.aufirst=Brian&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThe+Library+of+Babel" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFW.V.O_Quine" class="citation web cs1">W.V.O Quine. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140628033859/http://jubal.westnet.com/hyperdiscordia/universal_library.html">"Universal Library"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://jubal.westnet.com/hyperdiscordia/universal_library.html">the original</a> on 2014-06-28<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 10,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Universal+Library&rft.au=W.V.O+Quine&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fjubal.westnet.com%2Fhyperdiscordia%2Funiversal_library.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThe+Library+of+Babel" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFArnold,_FH2000" class="citation journal cs1">Arnold, FH (2000). "The Library of Maynard-Smith: My Search for Meaning in the protein universe". <i>Advances in Protein Chemistry</i>. <b>55</b>: ix–xi. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fs0065-3233%2801%2955000-7">10.1016/s0065-3233(01)55000-7</a>. <a href="/wiki/PMID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11050930">11050930</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Advances+in+Protein+Chemistry&rft.atitle=The+Library+of+Maynard-Smith%3A+My+Search+for+Meaning+in+the+protein+universe&rft.volume=55&rft.pages=ix-xi&rft.date=2000&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fs0065-3233%2801%2955000-7&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F11050930&rft.au=Arnold%2C+FH&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThe+Library+of+Babel" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFOstermeier2007" class="citation journal cs1">Ostermeier, M (March 2007). "Beyond cataloging the Library of Babel". <i>Chemistry & Biology</i>. <b>14</b> (3): 237–8. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.chembiol.2007.03.002">10.1016/j.chembiol.2007.03.002</a>. <a href="/wiki/PMID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="PMID (identifier)">PMID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17379136">17379136</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Chemistry+%26+Biology&rft.atitle=Beyond+cataloging+the+Library+of+Babel.&rft.volume=14&rft.issue=3&rft.pages=237-8&rft.date=2007-03&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fj.chembiol.2007.03.002&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F17379136&rft.aulast=Ostermeier&rft.aufirst=M&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThe+Library+of+Babel" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.hpcoders.com.au/nothing.html">"Theory of Nothing"</a>. Hpcoders.com.au. May 29, 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 10,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Theory+of+Nothing&rft.pub=Hpcoders.com.au&rft.date=2011-05-29&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hpcoders.com.au%2Fnothing.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThe+Library+of+Babel" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBloch,_William_Goldbloom2008" class="citation book cs1">Bloch, William Goldbloom (2008). <a href="/wiki/The_Unimaginable_Mathematics_of_Borges%27_Library_of_Babel" title="The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel"><i>The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel</i></a>. Oxford University Press.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Unimaginable+Mathematics+of+Borges%27+Library+of+Babel&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2008&rft.au=Bloch%2C+William+Goldbloom&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThe+Library+of+Babel" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://wheatoncollege.edu/academics/faculty-directory/bill-goldbloom-bloch/">"William Goldbloom Bloch's home page"</a>. Faculty.wheatoncollege.edu<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 10,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=William+Goldbloom+Bloch%27s+home+page&rft.pub=Faculty.wheatoncollege.edu&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwheatoncollege.edu%2Facademics%2Ffaculty-directory%2Fbill-goldbloom-bloch%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThe+Library+of+Babel" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSturgeon2015" class="citation web cs1">Sturgeon, Johnathon (2015-04-23). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flavorwire.com/515783/brooklyn-author-recreates-borges-library-of-babel-as-infinite-website">"Brooklyn Author Recreates Borges' Library of Babel as Infinite Website"</a>. <i>Flavorwire</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2020-11-22</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Flavorwire&rft.atitle=Brooklyn+Author+Recreates+Borges%27+Library+of+Babel+as+Infinite+Website&rft.date=2015-04-23&rft.aulast=Sturgeon&rft.aufirst=Johnathon&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flavorwire.com%2F515783%2Fbrooklyn-author-recreates-borges-library-of-babel-as-infinite-website&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AThe+Library+of+Babel" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=The_Library_of_Babel&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.warnockfinearts.com/erik-desmazires-library-of-babel">Érik Desmazières – <i>La Bibliothèque de Babel</i></a> at Warnock Fine Arts</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://libraryofbabel.info/">Library of Babel</a> simulation by Basile.</li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul 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class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Jorge_Luis_Borges" title="Template:Jorge Luis Borges"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Jorge_Luis_Borges" title="Template talk:Jorge Luis Borges"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Jorge_Luis_Borges" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Jorge Luis Borges"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Jorge_Luis_Borges" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Jorge_Luis_Borges" title="Jorge Luis Borges">Jorge Luis Borges</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div><a href="/wiki/Jorge_Luis_Borges_bibliography" title="Jorge Luis Borges bibliography">Bibliography</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Original<br />short story<br />collections</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><i><a href="/wiki/A_Universal_History_of_Infamy" title="A Universal History of Infamy">A Universal History of Infamy</a></i></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/Man_on_Pink_Corner" title="Man on Pink Corner">Man on Pink Corner</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/On_Exactitude_in_Science" title="On Exactitude in Science">On Exactitude in Science</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><i><a href="/wiki/Ficciones" title="Ficciones">Ficciones</a></i></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/Tl%C3%B6n,_Uqbar,_Orbis_Tertius" title="Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius">Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Approach_to_Al-Mu%27tasim" title="The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim">The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Pierre_Menard,_Author_of_the_Quixote" title="Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote">Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Circular_Ruins" title="The Circular Ruins">The Circular Ruins</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Lottery_in_Babylon" title="The Lottery in Babylon">The Lottery in Babylon</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/An_Examination_of_the_Work_of_Herbert_Quain" title="An Examination of the Work of Herbert Quain">An Examination of the Work of Herbert Quain</a>"</li> <li>"<a class="mw-selflink selflink">The Library of Babel</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Garden_of_Forking_Paths" title="The Garden of Forking Paths">The Garden of Forking Paths</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Funes_the_Memorious" title="Funes the Memorious">Funes the Memorious</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Form_of_the_Sword" title="The Form of the Sword">The Form of the Sword</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Theme_of_the_Traitor_and_the_Hero" title="Theme of the Traitor and the Hero">Theme of the Traitor and the Hero</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Death_and_the_Compass" title="Death and the Compass">Death and the Compass</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Secret_Miracle" title="The Secret Miracle">The Secret Miracle</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Three_Versions_of_Judas" title="Three Versions of Judas">Three Versions of Judas</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_End_(story)" title="The End (story)">The End</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Sect_of_the_Phoenix" title="The Sect of the Phoenix">The Sect of the Phoenix</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_South_(short_story)" title="The South (short story)">The South</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><i><a href="/wiki/The_Aleph_(short_story_collection)" class="mw-redirect" title="The Aleph (short story collection)">The Aleph</a></i></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Immortal_(short_story)" title="The Immortal (short story)">The Immortal</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Dead_Man_(short_story)" title="The Dead Man (short story)">The Dead Man</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Theologians" title="The Theologians">The Theologians</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Story_of_the_Warrior_and_the_Captive" title="Story of the Warrior and the Captive">Story of the Warrior and the Captive</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Emma_Zunz" title="Emma Zunz">Emma Zunz</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_House_of_Asterion" title="The House of Asterion">The House of Asterion</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Deutsches_Requiem_(short_story)" title="Deutsches Requiem (short story)">Deutsches Requiem</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Averroes%27s_Search" title="Averroes's Search">Averroes's Search</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Zahir" title="The Zahir">The Zahir</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Writing_of_the_God" title="The Writing of the God">The Writing of the God</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Two_Kings_and_the_Two_Labyrinths" title="The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths">The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Wait_(short_story)" title="The Wait (short story)">The Wait</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Man_on_the_Threshold" title="The Man on the Threshold">The Man on the Threshold</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Aleph_(short_story)" title="The Aleph (short story)">The Aleph</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><i><a href="/wiki/Dreamtigers" title="Dreamtigers">Dreamtigers</a></i></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/Borges_and_I" title="Borges and I">Borges and I</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><i>Dr. Brodie's Report</i></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Encounter_(short_story)" title="The Encounter (short story)">The Encounter</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Gospel_According_to_Mark_(short_story)" title="The Gospel According to Mark (short story)">The Gospel According to Mark</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><i><a href="/wiki/The_Book_of_Sand_(short_story_collection)" title="The Book of Sand (short story collection)">The Book of Sand</a></i></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Other_(short_story)" title="The Other (short story)">The Other</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Ulrikke_(short_story)" title="Ulrikke (short story)">Ulrikke</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Congress_(short_story)" title="The Congress (short story)">The Congress</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/There_Are_More_Things" title="There Are More Things">There Are More Things</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Disk" title="The Disk">The Disk</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Book_of_Sand" title="The Book of Sand">The Book of Sand</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><i><a href="/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_Memory_(short_story_collection)" title="Shakespeare's Memory (short story collection)">Shakespeare's Memory</a></i></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/Blue_Tigers" class="mw-redirect" title="Blue Tigers">Blue Tigers</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_Memory" title="Shakespeare's Memory">Shakespeare's Memory</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Essays</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/Yo,_Jud%C3%ADo" title="Yo, Judío">Yo, Judío</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem#Origins_and_"The_Total_Library"" title="Infinite monkey theorem">The Total Library</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/The_Analytical_Language_of_John_Wilkins" title="The Analytical Language of John Wilkins">The Analytical Language of John Wilkins</a>"</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/A_New_Refutation_of_Time" title="A New Refutation of Time">A New Refutation of Time</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other works</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Historia_de_la_eternidad" title="Historia de la eternidad">Historia de la eternidad</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Borges_on_Mart%C3%ADn_Fierro" title="Borges on Martín Fierro">Borges on Martín Fierro</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Book_of_Imaginary_Beings" title="Book of Imaginary Beings">Book of Imaginary Beings</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Labyrinths_(short_story_collection)" title="Labyrinths (short story collection)">Labyrinths</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Adrogue,_con_ilustraciones_de_Norah_Borges" title="Adrogue, con ilustraciones de Norah Borges">Adrogue, con ilustraciones de Norah Borges</a></i></li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/El_Golem" title="El Golem">El Golem</a>"</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Leonor_Acevedo_Su%C3%A1rez" title="Leonor Acevedo Suárez">Leonor Acevedo Suarez (mother)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jorge_Guillermo_Borges" title="Jorge Guillermo Borges">Jorge Guillermo Borges (father)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Norah_Borges" title="Norah Borges">Norah Borges (sister)</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Celestial_Emporium_of_Benevolent_Knowledge" title="Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge">Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/H._Bustos_Domecq" title="H. Bustos Domecq">H. Bustos Domecq</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Margarita_Guerrero" title="Margarita Guerrero">Margarita Guerrero</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pedro_Mata_y_Dom%C3%ADnguez" title="Pedro Mata y Domínguez">Pedro Mata</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jorge_Luis_Borges_and_mathematics" title="Jorge Luis Borges and mathematics">Borges and mathematics</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox authority-control" aria-labelledby="Authority_control_databases_frameless&#124;text-top&#124;10px&#124;alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata&#124;link=https&#58;//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q473#identifiers&#124;class=noprint&#124;Edit_this_at_Wikidata" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><div id="Authority_control_databases_frameless&#124;text-top&#124;10px&#124;alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata&#124;link=https&#58;//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q473#identifiers&#124;class=noprint&#124;Edit_this_at_Wikidata" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Help:Authority_control" title="Help:Authority control">Authority control databases</a> <span class="mw-valign-text-top noprint" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q473#identifiers" title="Edit this at Wikidata"><img alt="Edit this at Wikidata" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png" decoding="async" width="10" height="10" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="20" data-file-height="20" /></a></span></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">International</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://viaf.org/viaf/215964311">VIAF</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">National</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://d-nb.info/gnd/7609879-5">Germany</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb13330513f">France</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://data.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb13330513f">BnF data</a></span></li><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://olduli.nli.org.il/F/?func=find-b&local_base=NLX10&find_code=UID&request=987010863141105171">Israel</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.idref.fr/035701471">IdRef</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1&useformat=desktop" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; 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