Borges and I (Bristol)

The interwoven lives of the members of a monthly book club run alongside the life and work of Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges in Idle Motion’s latest work. By placing literature at the centre of the piece, Idle Motion invites us into the lives of the book club members by making us think about our relationship with literature. Childhood books, movie translations and the age old ‘literary/non-literary’ debate are all dealt with here.

Borges himself was a classic magic realist dealing largely with fantasy or the unreal in his writing. As an adult, his passion for writing was over shadowed by the demon of progressive blindness. However, like the equally gifted Matisse, rather than giving up, he continued his relationship to his art in different ways. The most ironic being his appointment to the directorship of the National Library, “No one should read self-pity or reproach into this statement of the majesty of God, who with such splendid irony granted me books and night at one touch.”

Books are everywhere in Borges and I. Pathways and boundaries; they are used separately and brought together to create larger images with startling success. The eternal argument of how to sort the bookshelf is also in the mix: Alphabetical or by genre. No geeky stone is left unturned.

Idle Motion have crafted a very human and, at the same time, a stunningly beautiful piece of theatre. Full of images, secrets, belly laughs and moments of reflection, this is a piece of theatre for story lovers of all ages and a genuine reason to fall in love with theatre for the first time or all over again.