Shakespeare's Memory

Summary

In the novella «Shakespeare's Memory», Jorge Luis Borges masterfully weaves the motifs of memory, identity, and literary legacy into a whimsical tapestry of storytelling. The protagonist, the unassuming scholar Hermann Sörbi, unexpectedly becomes the bearer of a unique gift—the memory of William Shakespeare himself. With this gift comes not only knowledge, but also the weight of another's life, passions, and sufferings. Sörbi discovers a world filled with the images, feelings, and recollections of the great playwright, but gradually realizes that another's memory is not only a treasure, but also a burden capable of destroying one's own identity. Borges subtly explores the boundaries between «self» and «other», between past and present, turning the story into a philosophical meditation on the nature of genius, memory, and human essence.