Buđenje unutar sna: kabalistička tradicija u prozi Horhea Luisa Borhesa

Abstract

Borges’s interest in Jewish mysticism is known to be an important theoretical perspective for interpreting his oeuvre. Opening a plethora of possibilities which cross the boundaries imposed by the traditional philosophical and religious systems, the Kabbalah provided Borges with the starting point for creating complex worlds in which the traditional perceptions of time, space, and reality are subverted. The aim of this paper is to provide a brief insight into the elements of Jewish mysticism which are present in Borges’s fiction, from the symbolic nature of reality and the representation of the entire world as a text, to the erasure of the boundaries between dreams and reality. Particular attention will be given to the concept of a dream within a dream, which is one of the main Kabbalistic motifs in Borges’s short stories. Finally, the idea of waking up within someone else’s dream will be shown through the analysis of the short story “Circular Ruins” in which it is particularly prominent.