If you enjoy reading novels by Jorge Luis Borges then you might also like the following authors:
Italo Calvino was an Italian author known for blending imagination with intellect in his stories. One of his books, “Invisible Cities,” is presented as a conversation between the explorer Marco Polo and Kublai Khan.
Polo describes dozens of fantastical cities, each strange in its own way. There’s a city made of webs suspended over an abyss and another where memory determines its shape. Each city feels more like a dream or a puzzle.
Instead of focusing on plot, the book explores ideas about human experience, memory, and how we understand the places we live in.
Gabriel García Márquez was a Colombian author known for blending reality with fantastical elements in his stories. His novel, “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” tells the story of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo.
It begins with the struggles of José Arcadio Buendía and his wife, Úrsula, as they establish the town. Over generations, their descendants experience love, war, and tragedy, with everything feeling connected by a strange, dreamlike logic.
The characters and events are vivid, filled with moments where the extraordinary feels completely natural, such as a character ascending to the sky or a rain of flowers falling from nowhere. It’s a book where time loops back on itself, creating a sense of wonder and mystery.
Julio Cortázar was an Argentine writer known for his unique approach to storytelling and imaginative narratives. His book “Hopscotch” is a great example of his creative genius.
The story follows Horacio Oliveira, a restless and intellectual man navigating life in Paris and Buenos Aires. The book has an unusual structure, allowing readers to read it in different sequences, which creates a sense of unpredictability and personal choice.
This makes it feel like a puzzle, where the characters’ lives and emotions take on new layers depending on how you piece it together. Borges fans might appreciate how Cortázar explores ideas about reality, choice, and human connections in fresh and unexpected ways.
Umberto Eco was an Italian writer who loved exploring ideas about knowledge, history, and the way people make sense of the world. His novel “The Name of the Rose” is a mystery set in a medieval monastery.
A friar named William of Baskerville arrives to investigate a series of strange deaths that seem connected to the monastery’s library. The story weaves together clues rooted in theology, forbidden texts, and logic.
There’s also a fascinating secret about a lost manuscript, which adds layers to the mystery. Fans of Jorge Luis Borges might enjoy the way Eco blends complex ideas with storytelling, creating a world that feels both intellectual and thrilling.
Vladimir Nabokov was a Russian-American writer known for his vivid imagination and mastery of prose. One of his most famous novels, “Pale Fire,” is a unique blend of poetry and narrative.
The book centers around a 999-line poem written by a fictional professor, John Shade, and the commentary provided by his peculiar neighbor, Charles Kinbote.
As Kinbote annotates the poem, his own obsessive and bizarre personality begins to take over the story, weaving mysteries about his identity and his connection to a distant kingdom.
The interplay between the poem and the footnotes creates layers of meaning and hidden stories, making it a fascinating and unexpected reading experience.
Samuel Beckett was an Irish writer known for his minimalist and thought-provoking style. His book “Molloy” tells the story of two men, Molloy and Moran, whose separate narratives unfold in a bleak, fragmented world.
Molloy tries to find his mother, often losing himself in strange, circular thoughts, while Moran, a detective, is tasked with finding Molloy.
The story explores isolation, the complexity of thought, and the absurdity of human existence through dark humor and sparse, powerful prose. Fans of Jorge Luis Borges may enjoy Beckett’s focus on philosophical themes and unconventional storytelling.
Haruki Murakami is a Japanese author known for blending reality and surrealism with an effortless touch. His book “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” tells the story of Toru Okada, a man searching for his missing wife.
This journey pulls him into strange encounters, including a mysterious alley, a man who skins animals, and a woman who communicates through dreams.
The story weaves ordinary life with bizarre happenings, creating a sense of surreal mystery that readers of Jorge Luis Borges might enjoy.
Thomas Pynchon is an author known for creating stories filled with puzzles, strange events, and hidden connections. In his book “The Crying of Lot 49,” a woman named Oedipa Maas is named the executor of her ex-boyfriend’s estate.
While sorting through his affairs, she stumbles onto a mysterious underground mail service called the Tristero. Clues seem to pop up everywhere—on postage stamps, in plays, and even in random street graffiti.
It’s a story where nothing is certain, and every detail feels like it could hold a secret. Readers who enjoy Borges might find Pynchon’s layers of mystery and obsession with codes and symbols exciting to explore.
Marcel Schwob was a French writer known for his imaginative storytelling and fascination with history and myth. One of his standout works is “The Book of Monelle.”
It’s a series of fragmented tales tied together by the enigmatic figure of Monelle, a girl who speaks in strange, poetic riddles. The stories explore ideas of loss, innocence, and rebellion.
In one section, Monelle speaks of creating a new world and breaking free from old, lifeless traditions. The book feels dreamlike and filled with hidden meaning, making it a great choice for readers who enjoy works with layered interpretations, like those of Borges.
Alberto Manguel is an author and editor who shares a fascination with the power of stories and the act of reading. One of his books, “The Library at Night,” explores the idea of libraries as more than just collections of books.
He reflects on their role as spaces of memory, imagination, and knowledge. In the book, he connects personal stories to historic libraries—from the ancient Library of Alexandria to private collections of famous writers.
It’s a thoughtful and inviting celebration of books and the worlds they create. Fans of Jorge Luis Borges might enjoy how Manguel blends history and personal insight to turn libraries into something almost mythical.
Fernando Pessoa was a Portuguese writer who created entire personas, or heteronyms, to write under. Each had their own distinct style and worldview. One of his most fascinating works is “The Book of Disquiet.”
It’s presented as a fragmented “autobiography” of Bernardo Soares, one of Pessoa’s heteronyms. The book is a mix of reflections, dreams, and observations of everyday life in Lisbon.
Soares spends his days working as a low-level clerk, his nights grappling with feelings of isolation and the meaning of existence.
The writing pulls you into his mind, where ordinary details—like the view of rooftops or the quiet of the office—become deeply personal moments filled with wonder and melancholy.
Franz Kafka was a writer known for creating strange, oppressive worlds where the characters grapple with absurd systems and feel trapped in their reality.
One of his most famous works, “The Metamorphosis,” tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a salesman who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect.
The story explores his family’s reaction to his condition, their growing resentment, and Gregor’s own sense of alienation. Kafka’s writing often feels like stepping into a dream where nothing makes sense, but everything feels deeply important.
If you enjoy Borges’ focus on surreal and philosophical themes, Kafka might be a writer you’d appreciate.
Adolfo Bioy Casares was an Argentine writer and close collaborator of Jorge Luis Borges. His works often explore ideas of reality, identity, and the extraordinary, though with a distinct style.
One of his most famous books, “The Invention of Morel,” tells the story of a fugitive who hides on a mysterious island. He discovers strange events, including people who seem unaware of his presence, and becomes captivated by a woman he cannot interact with.
The novel weaves mystery and strange technology, creating an eerie backdrop that keeps you curious. Fans of Borges will notice the shared interest in blending the ordinary with the surreal.
Roberto Bolaño was a Chilean writer whose works explore deep questions about art, identity, and the search for meaning.
One of his most well-known books, “The Savage Detectives,” follows two young poets, Arturo Belano and Ulises Lima, as they roam Mexico City and beyond in search of a legendary poet named Cesárea Tinajero.
The story moves through the voices of different characters, each recounting their encounters with the poets over the years. The way Bolaño captures the passion and chaos of the literary underground makes the world of the book come alive.
Paul Auster is an American author known for his clever storytelling and layered narratives that often play with themes of identity, coincidence, and reality. In “The New York Trilogy,” Auster tells three separate yet interconnected stories set in the city.
The first story, “City of Glass,” begins with a detective novelist who gets a strange phone call asking for a private investigator. This sets off a chain of events that blur the line between the roles of author, character, and detective.
The book feels like a puzzle, where each piece adds to the sense of mystery and exploration of larger ideas about existence and self. Fans of Jorge Luis Borges might find familiar territory in Auster’s approach to bending the boundaries of fiction.