The Smiling Anteater

In the library of his Buenos Aires residence, a fall day in 1985, Jorge Luis Borges gives a fascinating and deeply troubling insight into the literary cosmos of the postmodern era, which sets the stage for the first of the short stories of The Smiling Anteater. In the nineteen pieces that follow, such diverse matters as the emotional lives of jellyfish and how to prepare a perfect risotto are treated. The exciting but little known episode of chess legend Garry Kasparov's close encounter with Death is related and the secret behind Mona Lisa's smile is revealed once and for all. Moreover, the elaborate hoax behind the authorship of acclaimed writer Paul Auster is investigated in one of the most detailed accounts of the controversy to date. There is also a murder mystery, a story of passion and romance, an autological essay and a tale of a garden gnome. If you think that this sounds profoundly silly or if you are wondering what all of this has got to do with the facial expression of an anteater, there is but one answer: You must read The Smiling Anteater!