Jorge Luis Borges Tour in Buenos Aires

Activity Details

Literature lovers, welcome! At the designated time, we'll meet on Avenida Santa Fe, in the heart of the Palermo neighborhood. Once everyone's together, we'll kick off a tour of Buenos Aires dedicated to Jorge Luis Borges, one of the great masters of Spanish-language literature and one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.

Celebrated for his erudite and precise style, Borges is one of the most outstanding writers, poets, essayists, and short story writers Argentina has ever produced. And what better way to discover his life and work than in his hometown? We'll start by uncovering Borges' connection to this porteño neighborhood. His work perfectly reflected different elements of Argentine culture, including the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Did you know that at the end of the 19th century, this neighborhood was a working-class suburb?

One of Borges' most celebrated stories is Hombre de la esquina rosada, set near the Arroyo Maldonado, beneath Avenida Juan B. Justo. We'll explore the area while learning all about this landmark work. We'll then walk toward the Distrito Arcos area, where we'll listen to and analyze the poem Las calles, which opens his first book, Fervor de Buenos Aires, published in 1923.

Following the author's footsteps through Buenos Aires, we'll make our way to the corner of Borges and Paraguay, where he spent his childhood. We'll go back in time to those early years and explore his family life and how this neighborhood shaped his writing, including a reading of the poem Fundación mítica de Buenos Aires. You'll be amazed by Borges' imaginary take on the origins of the Argentine capital!

The tour will then take us on the Subte D to the San Telmo neighborhood, specifically to Plaza de Mayo. We'll pass by the former National Library on Calle México, the perfect spot to learn about Borges' time as director of the institution in 1955. To close, we'll read one of his most emblematic works, Poema de los dones, the perfect finishing touch to the tour.

2 hours later, we'll say our goodbyes in front of the National Library.