Annette U. Flynn is Lecturer in Spanish and Portuguese at University College Dublin, Ireland.

In this lucid and absorbing book, Annette Flynn addresses a subject that has only recently aroused critical interest - Borges's engagement with religious and mystical questions in a search for a spiritual core to existence. Opposing standard views of the Argentine master as a cerebral writer of playful, nihilistic texts, she traces a development from initial explorations of philosophical and theological themes in the essays and stories towards a more intensely personal struggle to find a form of spiritual salvation, as evinced in the later poetry. This is a challenging and perceptive study which deserves the close attention of all serious readers of Borges's work.

• Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction; 1. Preludes to Mysticism; 2. From Essay to Ficcion; 3. The Long Quest; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Annette U. Flynn is Lecturer in Spanish and Portuguese at University College Dublin, Ireland.

In this lucid and absorbing book, Annette Flynn addresses a subject that has only recently aroused critical interest - Borges's engagement with religious and mystical questions in a search for a spiritual core to existence. Opposing standard views of the Argentine master as a cerebral writer of playful, nihilistic texts, she traces a development from initial explorations of philosophical and theological themes in the essays and stories towards a more intensely personal struggle to find a form of spiritual salvation, as evinced in the later poetry. This is a challenging and perceptive study which deserves the close attention of all serious readers of Borges's work.

• Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction; 1. Preludes to Mysticism; 2. From Essay to Ficcion; 3. The Long Quest; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Annette U. Flynn is Lecturer in Spanish and Portuguese at University College Dublin, Ireland.

In this lucid and absorbing book, Annette Flynn addresses a subject that has only recently aroused critical interest - Borges's engagement with religious and mystical questions in a search for a spiritual core to existence. Opposing standard views of the Argentine master as a cerebral writer of playful, nihilistic texts, she traces a development from initial explorations of philosophical and theological themes in the essays and stories towards a more intensely personal struggle to find a form of spiritual salvation, as evinced in the later poetry. This is a challenging and perceptive study which deserves the close attention of all serious readers of Borges's work.

• Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction; 1. Preludes to Mysticism; 2. From Essay to Ficcion; 3. The Long Quest; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.