Michael Lampasona

This story was about a library that had every possible book within its shelves. All the books were the same length, and arranged in the same fashion on the shelves. Since every combination of 22 letters was used to form the words in the book, there were a seemingly infinite number of books. However, there is a limit to the number of possible combinations so the number of books is actually finite. During the story, men try to find the one book that will bring them salvation. Also, there is mention of the one divine book that exists within the library. In search of great books, some books from the library are destroyed. However, Borges points out that there are so many books, even destroying some does not eliminate the handful of almost identical books that are left behind. This analogy can be applied to many situations in the world, not only this library.

I found this story compelling. It reminded me of when I walk into a library and am astounded by the number of books. Even though every possible combination of letters is not actually in our libraries, the pure amount of knowledge on the shelves is unbelievable. Borges expresses this idea well in this fictional work.