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Adolfo Bioy Casares

アドルフォ・ビオイ・カサレス

Adolfo Bioy Casares

Aliases: Bioy Casares / Adolfo Bioy
Pen Names: H. Bustos Domecq（Pseudonym used in collaboration with Jorge Luis Borges (satirical and detective fiction)）, Benito Suárez Lynch（Another pseudonym used in collaborative works with Borges）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1914-09-15 （Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina）
Died
1999-03-08 （Buenos Aires, Argentina） age 84
Nationality
Argentine
Languages
Spanish, English, French, German
Residence History
Recoleta (Buenos Aires) — lived there for most of his life → Family ranch (spent periods there in youth; devoted time to independent literary study)

Career

Occupations
writer, journalist, diarist, translator, poet, critic, librarian
Active Years
1929-1999
Affiliations
Sociedad Argentina de Escritores (SADE)
Memberships
Sociedad Argentina de Escritores (SADE)
Influenced By
Jorge Luis Borges, H. G. Wells, Victoria Ocampo (influence through cultural salon and patronage)

Education

Instituto Libre de Segunda Enseñanza (Buenos Aires)
Period: 中等教育
Country: Argentina
Secondary education institution. Preparation for later university studies.
University of Buenos Aires
Studied law, philosophy and literature (did not complete degrees)
Country: Argentina
He began studies in law, philosophy and literature but did not finish any of them.
Family ranch (self-study)
Country: Argentina
After leaving university he devoted himself to studying literature and writing at the family ranch.

Awards

Miguel de Cervantes Prize
1991
Work: (for his body of work)
Organization: Miguel de Cervantes Prize committee
Result: 受賞
Gran Premio de Honor (SADE)
1975
Organization: Sociedad Argentina de Escritores (SADE)
Result: 受賞
Legion of Honour
1981
Organization: Government of France
Result: 受勲
Konex Award (Diamond Prize)
1994
Organization: Konex Foundation
Result: 受賞
Illustrious Citizen of Buenos Aires
1986
Organization: City of Buenos Aires
Result: 称号授与
Primer Premio Municipal de Literatura
1941
Work: The Invention of Morel
Organization: City of Buenos Aires
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Invention of Morel

1940 fantastique / science fiction / psychological novella 126 pages

A fugitive narrator takes refuge on an island where he discovers that the people he observes are not real but recordings produced by a machine invented by Morel. The novella explores reality versus reproduction, memory, identity and immortality.

reality vs. reproductionmemory and immortalityloneliness and longingambiguity of identity
Translations
  • The Invention of Morel (English translation)

Diary of the War of the Pig

1969 dystopia / social satire 207 pages

A dystopian fable depicting a society that marginalizes the elderly. The novel uses fear and dark humor to examine aging and social exclusion.

agingsocial exclusioncycles of violence
Translations
  • Diary of the War of the Pig (English translation)

Asleep in the Sun

1973 novel / social fable 229 pages

A novel set against Argentine society that explores human relationships and existential emptiness, blending realism and fantasy.

reality and dreamssocial emptiness
Translations
  • Asleep in the Sun (English translation)

The Adventures of a Photographer in La Plata

1985 novel / detective elements 223 pages

A novel centered on a photographer; memory, incidents and urban landscapes interweave in this distinctive work.

memorycity and landscape
Translations
  • The Adventures of a Photographer in La Plata (English translation)

Bibliography

  • La nueva tormenta o la vida de Juan Ruteno (1935)
  • La invención de Morel (1940)
  • El perjurio de la nieve (1944)
  • Plan de evasión (1945)
  • El sueño de los héroes (1954)
  • Diario de la guerra del cerdo (1969)
  • Dormir al sol (1973)
  • La aventura de un fotógrafo en La Plata (1985)
  • Una muñeca rusa (1991)
  • Numerous short stories, essays and collaborative works (with Borges, Silvina Ocampo, etc.)

Adaptations

  • Invasión (1969) — screenplay collaboration with Borges
  • Los orilleros (1955) — screenplay co-written with Borges

Translations of Works

  • The Invention of Morel and other major works have been translated into English and multiple other languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, refined prosecalm narrative voice with intellectual humortechnique of blending fantasy and reality seamlessly
Recurring Motifs
reality and reproductionmemory and cyclical timeloneliness and quests for identity

Legacy

Adolfo Bioy Casares is a key figure in Argentine fantastique and modern fiction. Through collaborations with Jorge Luis Borges and works such as The Invention of Morel he achieved international recognition, influencing 20th-century Latin American literature and impacting film and television narratives.

Academic Societies

  • Sociedad Argentina de Escritores (SADE)

Archives

  • Some papers and journals are held by the National Library of Buenos Aires and related archives

In Popular Culture

  • Considered an influence on Alain Resnais's Last Year at Marienbad (thematic similarities)
  • Indirect influence on contemporary media such as the TV series Lost

Quotes

  • 'The Invention of Morel' is a work of "reasoned imagination."
    Source: Jorge Luis Borges (introduction) (1940)

Trivia

  • Wrote his first short story at age 11.
  • Maintained a lifelong friendship and prolific collaboration with Jorge Luis Borges.
  • Later disparaged his early works, calling those prior to 1940 'horrible.'
  • Had a complex private life involving extramarital children and related inheritance disputes.