The Invention of Morel

Synopsis

Fleeing a life overshadowed by political persecution, a nameless fugitive escapes to a deserted island where he believes he has finally found safety. His solitude is shattered by the arrival of an elegant group of strangers who seem entirely unaware of his existence. Drawn to the enigmatic Faustine, he watches from hiding as the visitors repeat the same conversations and routines day after day, until an astonishing discovery forces him to question the nature of reality itself.

At once a suspenseful mystery, a haunting love story, and a philosophical meditation on memory, identity, and technology, The Invention of Morel is one of the foundational works of modern speculative fiction. Admired by Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, and Octavio Paz, Adolfo Bioy Casares's masterpiece helped shape the Latin American literary boom and inspired Alain Resnais's landmark film Last Year at Marienbad. Elegant, unsettling, and endlessly inventive, it remains as visionary today as when it was first published.

About the Author

Adolfo Bioy Casares (1914–1999) was an Argentine novelist, short story writer, and essayist whose work transformed twentieth-century fantastic literature. A close friend and longtime collaborator of Jorge Luis Borges, he is celebrated for blending metaphysical speculation, psychological suspense, and elegant prose. The Invention of Morel, first published in 1940, is widely regarded as his masterpiece. This edition is translated from the Spanish by Ruth L. C. Simms, with an introduction by Suzanne Jill Levine and a prologue by Jorge Luis Borges.

Publisher

NYRB Classics

Publication Date

August 31, 2003

Format

Paperback

Pages

120

Subjects

Literary Fiction · Fiction in Translation · Argentine Literature · Speculative Fiction · Philosophical Fiction · Modern Classics

ISBN

9781590170571