risky_oak 's review for:

The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges

---

4 decades before J. K. Rowling wrote "[b:Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them|41899|Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Hogwarts Library)|Newt Scamander|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1303738520l/41899._SX50_.jpg|4195128]", the great Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges wrote "The Book of Imaginary Beings"

While Rowling wrote it as a Hogwarts' textbook with beings we find in the world of Harry Potter, Borges wrote about beings we find in the mythologies of every culture.

And because folklore, mythology, fantasy, and literature are influenced by one another, I found in this book many creatures that existed in Rowling's book, such as: Basilisk, Centaur, Chimera, Chinese Dragon, Hippogryff, Manticore, and many many more; 120 ( in Borges' book)

Of course in [b:El libro de los seres imaginarios|73410|El libro de los seres imaginarios|Jorge Luis Borges|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348545671l/73410._SY75_.jpg|2241328] by Borges there is more philosophy to be found, more intertextuality and references to other writers who made beings for their own stories (Kafka, C.S. Louis (Narnia) L. Carol (Alice in Wonderland), Edgar Allan Poe, and others).
Of course, without underestimating Rowling, I recommend Borges' book if you want to have a cerebral reading in addition to your entertaining reading.

If you like mythology, fantasy, Borges, and encyclopedic knowledge then this book is for you.


More in Greek at βιβλιοαλχημείες