Borges Beyond Borges: Infinity, Chance, and a Historic Photo Taken by Coincidence

A photograph, potentially capturing a significant moment between literary icon Jorge Luis Borges and Estela Canto, has surfaced four decades after Borges's death. The image, shared exclusively by physicist, writer, and musician Alberto Rojo, is believed to document the day Canto may have asked Borges for permission to sell the manuscript of "El Aleph," a gift from the author.

Rojo, who met Borges on July 9, 1985, the day after his own wedding, recounted the encounter. He and his wife were visiting his parents at the Hotel Dorá when they saw Borges seated with Canto. Rojo's father encouraged him to approach, leading to a conversation that included Borges, Canto, Rojo's parents, his wife, sister, and brother-in-law. Rojo's sister happened to have her Canon camera with her, having used it at the wedding the previous day.

Borges agreed to pose for a photo, resulting in the image that Rojo believes could be the "picture of the day." This anecdote emerged during Rojo's visit to Buenos Aires for a conference organized by the Galileo Galilei Planetarium. Rojo, a professor in the physics department at Oakland University in Michigan, was scheduled to speak on "Infinity and Chance," themes that resonate with Borges's exploration of complex concepts in his writing. The photograph's discovery adds a new layer to the enduring legacy and mystique surrounding Borges, hinting at personal interactions that fueled his literary universe.