Morel’s Invention

“Morel’s Invention may be described, without exaggeration, as a perfect novel.” —Octavio Paz

A new translation of Adolfo Bioy Casares’s metaphysical masterpiece, a marvelously plotted story of a fugitive writer who discovers an uncanny phenomenon taking place on his island hideout.

Jorge Luis Borges declared Morel’s Invention a masterpiece of plotting, comparable to The Turn of The Screw and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Bioy’s novella is a story of suspense and exploration, as well as a wonderfully unlikely romance, in which every detail is at once crystal clear and deeply mysterious. When a fugitive washes up on a deserted island, he quickly discovers that he is not alone. Rather, the island is populated by a group of well-heeled tourists, whose nightly comings and goings are as bewildering as they are endlessly fascinating. Soon, the fugitive becomes enamored of a beautiful woman. Terrified of drawing her attention and desiring it no less, he finds himself more and more caught up in the mystery of the island—until at last he realizes it is time for him to take action.

Inspired by Bioy’s fascination with the movie star Louise Brooks, Morel’s Invention has gone on to live a secret life of its own. Greatly admired by Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, and Octavio Paz, the novella helped to usher in Latin American fiction’s now famous postwar boom. As the model for Alain Resnais and Alain Robbe-Grillet’s Last Year at Marienbad, it changed the history of film. And in its contemplation of consciousness, perception, and the self, it stands as one of the first literary explorations of virtual reality.

Margaret Jull Costa’s new translation of Morel’s Invention, the first into English in more than 50 years, brings out the full force of the story’s beguiling and metaphysical power.