The South by Jorge Luis Borges
"The South" is a short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges that explores themes of identity, heritage, and the contrast between urban and rural life. The protagonist, Juan Dahlmann, is a librarian in Buenos Aires who grapples with his mixed ancestry; he is connected to both a German minister and a celebrated Argentine military figure. After suffering a severe injury, Dahlmann is advised to recuperate at his family's rundown ranch in the South, a place symbolizing a more primitive and romanticized version of his heritage. As he travels toward the ranch, he contemplates his life and literary influences, feeling a sense of nostalgia for the South even though he lacks personal familiarity with it. The narrative takes a dramatic turn when Dahlmann encounters hostility from local ruffians, leading him to a fateful decision to engage in a duel. The story culminates in a poignant reflection on the nature of death, as Dahlmann embraces the idea of a heroic demise over a mundane one, highlighting Borges' exploration of existential themes and the allure of romanticized violence in the context of Argentine identity.
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The South by Jorge Luis Borges
First published: "El Sur," 1944 (English translation, 1962)
Type of plot: Magical Realism
Time of work: 1939
Locale: Buenos Aires and the southern plains of Argentina
Principal Characters:
Juan Dahlmann , the secretary of a municipal library in Buenos AiresThree young ruffians An old gaucho
The Story
Juan Dahlmann works in a library in Buenos Aires. Like many Argentines, he is of mixed heritage. His paternal grandfather was a German minister who emigrated to Argentina in 1871. His maternal grandfather was a famous Argentine military man who suffered a violent death at the hands of Indians on the frontier. In spite of Dahlmann's bookish lifestyle, he prefers to think of himself as more closely linked to his military-hero grandfather, "his ancestor of romantic death." Because of this, Dahlmann keeps some souvenirs that remind him of the more heroic side of his heritage. One of these is a run-down ranch in the South that belonged to his mother's family. Dahlmann is an absentee landowner, however, as his work at the library keeps him in the city.
Dahlmann's life changes dramatically on a February evening in 1939. Eager to examine a rare edition of Alf layla walayla (fifteenth century; The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, 1706-1708), which he has just obtained, Dahlmann elects not to wait for the elevator in his apartment building but instead rushes up the dark stairs, where he accidentally runs into the edge of an open door. The injury to his head is such that he is forced to spend several feverish days at home in bed. When he does not improve, he is taken to a sanatorium, where he endures a battery of neurological tests. Sometime later, the doctors reveal to him that "he had been on the point of death from septicemia." After several months in the sanatorium, he is told that he should go to his ranch in the South to convalesce.
Dahlmann sets out for the ranch, acutely aware that he who travels to the South "enters a more ancient and sterner world." Once on the train, he attempts to read his still-untouched copy of The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, but now, free of the sanatorium, he finds himself distracted by the "joy of life" and pays little attention to the book. He instead gazes out the window at the passing countryside. Though able to recognize much of what he watches go by, he is not intimately familiar with anything in this part of the country, for his firsthand knowledge of the region is "quite inferior to his nostalgic and literary knowledge." As the train moves deeper into the South, Dahlmann dozes.
Because of a ticket mix-up, Dahlmann is forced to disembark at a stop short of his destination. While waiting for further transportation to arrive, he decides to eat in the local general store. There he is harassed by three young ruffians. Though he does his best to ignore them, he is finally forced to acknowledge their taunts. He confronts them. One of them pulls a knife and challenges Dahlmann to a fight outside. When the store owner points out that Dahlmann is unarmed, an old gaucho, "a summary and cipher of the South," throws Dahlmann a dagger, which lands at his feet. Although he knows that he is no match for his opponent, Dahlmann picks up the weapon and, in so doing, accepts the challenge. He views his impending death as "a liberation, a joy, and a festive occasion," for were it between dying a violent and heroic death in the South and dying in the sanatorium, it is the more romantic death that "he would have chosen or dreamt." The story ends as Dahlmann, holding a knife that will probably be of little use to him, goes out to fight.