Victoria Gornopolskaya

“The Zahir” is about Borges himself and his obsession with a gold coin called the Zahir. He goes into great detail in telling us the origins of the Zahir and how it could also refer to other things such as god or a tiger. He also mentions his lovesickness for a woman named Teodelina Villar, a model. It seems as though his obsession stems from the fact that he spent the Zahir at a bar when he saw Teodelina Villar having a drink. This story is simply the ramifications of a man who has been heartbroken and chooses to express his grief by channeling it through an entirely different extreme. Borges was so overcome with grief over Teodelina Villar’s suicide that he held on to the closest part of her that he had known, which was the Zahir coin. I believe this story was written to show the toils of dealing with an unhealthy obsession and how heavily it can impact your life.

“The House of Asterion” is a first person account of a princess who isolates herself in a very large house. She is not a prisoner, as she isn’t locked up or forced to stay in one place. She simply chooses this way of life because she fears the commoners and the way they treat her. It isn’t clear whether her house is really infinite, or if that word was simply placed over the number fourteen. It seems she lives a very lonely life; no companionship, no ability to read, and no overall contact with the outside world. There is the exception of a ceremony that occurs every nine years, but other than that her life is desolate. All she has is her house, in which she wanders through its limitless pools, galleries and all sorts of other treasures. Though she does possess all these riches she is still empty inside, just like her infinite palace.

Natalya Gornopolskaya

Blog by Natalya Gornopolskaya
“The Zahir,” “The House of Asterion”

This first story describes the irrationalities of obsession. Borges was in love with a woman named Teodelina Villar. This woman was very calculated in her mannerisms, and always maintained herself as a classy and beautiful figure. The story gives the impression that she took her own life, as a result of finding herself inadequate. The story then shifts its focus to the Zahir, which is a coin among its many other meanings. Though I don’t see the connection between Teodelina Villar and the Zahir, I think it could be the coin itself that played a part in her untimely death. Borges inserts himself into the story as a man who is plagued by his obsession. I feel very bad for people who cannot grasp control over such extreme emotions. I assume the man Borges portrays in the story commits suicide as well because the coin held such a high power over him.

“The House of Asterion” is the story of a spoiled princess who chooses to isolate herself from society. She is simply a desperate soul who retreats to an immeasurable house for protection against the common folk. She doesn’t even have the patience to learn to read so that she herself could understand what poor people really have to go through. She spends her days doing nothing but frolicking in her mansion while the rest of society is hard at work for her. This princess is in dire need of a rude awakening because she is overly sheltered. My hope is that she is either overthrown or made to live as a commoner, because her attitude is just beyond reality.

Katherine Tesi

I enjoyed Borges’ “The Zahir” the most of all of his stories thus far. Initially, I found the fact that Borges made himself the narrator and main character more intriguing as compared to the other stories. In the past stories, the history piece that introduces each piece I’ve found to be boring and confusing. However, in the beginning of “The Zahir” Borges explains the history of the zahir and the idea behind it, attracting the reader further. The idea of the story, that a single item or thing can cause complete obsession, prohibiting a person to view and interpret reality, was so interesting in itself.
The second story, “The House of Asterion” I found appealing as well. Although short, Borges once again brings in the idea of the labyrinth when he refers to the infinite doors. I also noted that Borges illudes to religious themes once again when Asterion speaks of himself as having god like characteristics and when the “great redeemer” is mentioned. The story ends with mention of the Minotaur being killed, and I couldn’t help but remember House of Leaves. However, it was unclear to me whether or not Asterion was the Minotaur or not.

Elisabeth Jeremko

Right at the onset of reading “The Zahir”, Borges hooked me in with his proclamation that “I am not the man I was then, but I am still able to recall…” (Borges, 242). I was highly curious to see what the Zahir would mean and what had happened to Borges in the story. After this, I loved the description of Teodelina Villar. Borges did such a concise, yet descriptive job of fully giving me an idea of what type of woman she was. I tend to think of myself as a perfectionist, so the description of her discipline being greater than that of Talmudists or Confucians was humorous. Borges says the reader might have expected that he was in love with her—I did not guess this, actually! As I read more and more Borges, I see how abruptly and sometimes out of order he presents details. While once annoying, I find his approach to relaying the story in “The Zahir” refreshing. Perhaps I am just more accustomed to Borges or maybe its this particular story. I am not quite sure. I started to lose Borges when he described money as “future time” (244). I found the story humorous again when Borges said that his whole description of the fantasy story was to get the coin off his mind. It is as if the reader is along for the ride, so to speak, of what goes on in Borges’ mind. The concept of the Zahir, as being any object able to induce nonstop thoughts revolving around it is really unique and interesting. His idea seems to become fully developed when referencing Tennyson’s idea of understanding a single flower being able to understand everything else. He then references the Kabbalist idea “that man is a microcosm, a symbolic mirror of the universe” (248). The story finishes up saying that he relentlessly focuses on the Zahir, where behind may be God. One thing I am confused about is how Julia’s presence in Borges’ life fits in with the Zahir. Is it one obsession to another? I cannot really find a connection.

Carly Cooper

I did not like the story about the Zahir, it might be because i didn't fully understand the story but I didn't see the connection between the death of the women he loved and this mysterious coin. I thought it was interesting how he could not get the coin out of his head and neither could anyone else who saw the coin. This part of the story reminded me of House of Leaves and the theme of obsession. However i also struggled with understanding the connection between this man and the other people who's stories were reported about the coin such as the man who painted his jail cell or the sister of the women who died. What is this coin? I didnt feel like the mystory of the coin was solved or if it was I didnt understnad it.

Michael Lampasona

In this story, Jorge Luis Borges is the main character. He goes to a bar and when he recieves his change, he recieves a coin as change. This coin is apparently a Zahir, which soon becomes the object of his obsession. Borges spends some time talking about money, and he describes how money is the least material thing there is - and it is just "future time." Eventually Borges realizes that he has become obsessed with the Zahir, and gets rid of it. He goes on to describe how the Zahir can take form of many objects, and it causes the owner to become obsessed. He ends the story by speaking of how he is content with his fate, even if he is to become crazy.

I thought this story was intriguing. I think the idea of obsession can be applied to many different aspects of life. It is easy for us to get obsessed with things, even if it is not to the extent of Borges' experience. These obsessions can detract from our everyday lives, and we have to be careful.

I’m not sure what to think of The Zahir. It was confusing at times but it was about a man who bcomes obsessed with a coin and then finds out other people have been obsessed with it as well. In the past it hadn’t only been a coin, it had been other things as well like a tiger, a blind man, and many others. I think that anyone can decide what The Zahir is, because what it’s been in the past are very abstract things. The narrator says that The Zahir is also a form of God because they are both unforgettable and they make people mad. I think this is an interesting comparison, but there are many other things that are unforgettable and make people go crazy, but these things aren’t compared to God.
I enjoyed The House of Asterion. It is about a man who lives in a house (which is similar to a labyrinth) where its’ doors are always open and there is no lock. Although the house would allow him to leave, he feels like a prisoner beause when he walks outside people hide from him and run away because he is “unique”. Every nine years, nine men come into his house to be freed from all evil, and they all die suddenly. There are a lot of unanswered questions that I have concerning the story. Why do people flee from Asterion when they see him? Why is the number fourteen so important? How do the nine men die and why? Will Asterion’s redeemer ever come?

Janie Cherestal

While reading Borges short stories, I often feel confused and left wondering, “What is the point of this?” I definitely felt that way again while reading “The Zahir.” What I got from the story was that the narrator becomes obsessed with a coin, which he calls a zahir, and he finds out that he is not the only person to become mad over an object. He talks about an artist who becomes fascinated with tigers, and a woman named Julia who becomes crazy over a coin, as well. At the end of the story, the narrator speculates whether or not the coin is really God, which I did not understand, either. Why would the coin be God? And who exactly was Teodelina Villar and what was her role in the story?

Robert Stevens

This story made little or no sense to me. I’m not even sure if I’m interpreting it correctly. It seemed to revolve around a man who was telling several stories about himself and others at the same time, but they all seemed to revolve around this mysterious coin, the “Zahir.” The Zahir he speaks of is nothing more than a 20-centavo (Argentinian?) coin with the letters N T, and the number 2 scratched in it. He then goes on to say that the “Zahir” has taken many forms throughout history.
After “losing” the Zahir, he proceeds to become obsessed with the coin, and the fact that he had held it. He also starts to contemplate and research the other Zahirs that have tormented other men. Eventually he comes to believe that the Zahir is God, or at least a manifestation of Him. Thoughts about the Zahir were joined by others such as his love for Teodelina Villar, an aspiring fashion mogul who has died on “June 6” at some point after WWII. At some point I started to believe that he had become so obsessed that he had stolen her body and made it up so she would appear as she had when she was younger. He also made reference that it was Borges himself in the story (as the main character).
Who is Wally Zenner? Is the dedication for this story from Borges or the translator?