0
    • Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
    0 0
    Download high-resolution image Look inside
    Listen to a clip from the audiobook
    audio play button
    0:00
    0:00

    A Universal History of Iniquity

    Author Jorge Luis Borges
    Introduction by Andrew Hurley
    Translated by Andrew Hurley
    Notes by Andrew Hurley
    Look inside
    Listen to a clip from the audiobook
    audio play button
    0:00
    0:00
    Paperback
    $16.00 US
    Penguin Adult HC/TR | Penguin Classics
    On sale Jul 27, 2004 | 128 Pages | 9780142437896
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    See Additional Formats
    In his writing, Borges always combined high seriousness with a wicked sense of fun. Here he reveals his delight in re-creating (or making up) colorful stories from the Orient, the Islamic world, and the Wild West, as well as his horrified fascination with knife fights, political and personal betrayal, and bloodthirsty revenge. Sparkling with the sheer exuberant pleasure of story-telling, this collection marked the emergence of an utterly distinctive literary voice.

    For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
    A Universal History of IniquityIntroduction by Andrew Hurley

    A Universal History of Iniquity (1935)
    Preface to the First Edition
    Preface to the 1954 Edition
    The Cruel Redeemer Lazarus Morell
    The Improbable Impostor Tom Castro
    The Widow Ching—Pirate
    Monk Eastman, Purveyor of Iniquities
    The Disinterested Killer Bill Harrigan
    The Uncivil Teacher of Court Etiquette Kôsuké no Suké
    Hakim, the Masked Dyer of Merv
    Man on Pink Corner
    Et cetera
    Index of Sources

    A Note on the Translation
    Acknowledgments
    Notes to the Fictions

    Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) was an Argentine poet, essayist, and author of short stories. His most notable works as a key literary Spanish-language figure of the twentieth century include Ficciones (Fictions) and El Aleph (The Aleph). He received a BA from the College of Geneva. He was also appointed the director of the National Public Library and professor of English literature at the University of Buenos Aries in 1955. During his lifetime, Borges received the first Prix International Formentor Prize which he shared alongside Samuel Beckett in 1961. He also received the Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society in 1971. View titles by Jorge Luis Borges
    "Hurley’s efforts at retranslating Borges are not anything but heroic. His versions are clear, elegant, crystalline." —Ilan Stavans, The Times Literary Supplement

    "[Borges’s] stories often take the outer form of some genre from popular literature, a form proved by long usage, which creates almost mythical structures." —Italo Calvino

    About

    In his writing, Borges always combined high seriousness with a wicked sense of fun. Here he reveals his delight in re-creating (or making up) colorful stories from the Orient, the Islamic world, and the Wild West, as well as his horrified fascination with knife fights, political and personal betrayal, and bloodthirsty revenge. Sparkling with the sheer exuberant pleasure of story-telling, this collection marked the emergence of an utterly distinctive literary voice.

    For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

    Table of Contents

    A Universal History of IniquityIntroduction by Andrew Hurley

    A Universal History of Iniquity (1935)
    Preface to the First Edition
    Preface to the 1954 Edition
    The Cruel Redeemer Lazarus Morell
    The Improbable Impostor Tom Castro
    The Widow Ching—Pirate
    Monk Eastman, Purveyor of Iniquities
    The Disinterested Killer Bill Harrigan
    The Uncivil Teacher of Court Etiquette Kôsuké no Suké
    Hakim, the Masked Dyer of Merv
    Man on Pink Corner
    Et cetera
    Index of Sources

    A Note on the Translation
    Acknowledgments
    Notes to the Fictions

    Author

    Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) was an Argentine poet, essayist, and author of short stories. His most notable works as a key literary Spanish-language figure of the twentieth century include Ficciones (Fictions) and El Aleph (The Aleph). He received a BA from the College of Geneva. He was also appointed the director of the National Public Library and professor of English literature at the University of Buenos Aries in 1955. During his lifetime, Borges received the first Prix International Formentor Prize which he shared alongside Samuel Beckett in 1961. He also received the Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society in 1971. View titles by Jorge Luis Borges

    Praise

    "Hurley’s efforts at retranslating Borges are not anything but heroic. His versions are clear, elegant, crystalline." —Ilan Stavans, The Times Literary Supplement

    "[Borges’s] stories often take the outer form of some genre from popular literature, a form proved by long usage, which creates almost mythical structures." —Italo Calvino

    Additional formats

    Other Books by this Author

    Related Articles

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Book Covers: Cowboys and East Indians 9798217006892 Advocate 9781984862495 THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS 9780593831878 IT RHYMES WITH TAKEI 9781603095747
    General

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    Each May, we honor the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Below is a selection of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators to share with your students this month and throughout the year. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

    Read more

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    General
    Subscribe

    Penguin Random House Higher Education

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)