Author(s): Alejandro Luque

Literature

When Alejandro Luque receives a book of photographs of the Argentinian writer, essayist and poet, Luis Borges, in Sicily he decides to trace the writer's journey, setting off with a group of friends on his own Sicilian odyssey. Meticulously identifying the location of each photograph, Luque uses the pictures of Borges to imagine how the elderly writer felt when faced with the same view, the same stresses or delights. These reveries form a pause for thought where the words come to illustrate the images. As his hunt for the locations of the original photographs continues, he begins to fall in love both with the island and his friend, Ro. The literati of the past and present, both indigenous and foreign, are placed alongside Luque's own comments and observations in a narrative rich in historical detail. Borges himself becomes a character as the narrative is infused with extracts and reflections from his essays and poetry. Having travelled from Trapani in the west to Siracusa in the east, Luque and his companions must eventually return to Spain. Despite Borges' central role, Alejandro realises his real blind guide has been love.