The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths

Short story by Jorge Luis Borges

"The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths"
Short story by Jorge Luis Borges
Original title	Historia de los dos Reyes y los dos Laberintos, como Nota de Burton
Country	Argentina
Language	Spanish
Genre(s)	Fantasy, short story
Publication
Published in	El Hogar
Media type	Print
Publication date	16 June 1939
Pages	2 (Bantam 1971 ed.)

"The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths" (original Spanish title: "Una Leyenda Arábiga [Historia de los dos Reyes y los dos Laberintos, como Nota de Burton"]) is a short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, first published in June 1939.^[1] It was later included in El Aleph under the title "Los dos reyes y los dos laberintos". It deals with a number of Borgesian themes: labyrinths, supposed obscure folk tales, Arabia, and Islam.^[2] The story is itself referenced in-universe by characters of Borges' "Ibn Hakkan Al-Bokhari—Dead in His Labyrinth", also found in The Aleph.^[3]

Plot summary

A Babylonian king orders his subjects to build him a labyrinth "so confusing and so subtle that the most prudent men would not venture to enter it, and those who did would lose their way". When an Arab king visited his court, the king of Babylon told him to enter the labyrinth in order to mock him. The Arab king finally got out and told the Babylonian that in his land he had another labyrinth, and Allah willing, he would see that someday the king of Babylonia made its acquaintance. The Arab king returned to his land, and launched a successful attack on the Babylonians, finally capturing the Babylonian King. The Arab tied him on a camel and led him into the desert. After three days of riding, the Arab reminds the Babylonian that he tried to make him lose his way in his labyrinth and says that he will now show him his, "which has no stairways to climb, nor door to force, nor wearying galleries to wander through, nor walls to impede thy passage". He then untied the Babylonian king, "and abandoned him in the middle of the desert, where he died of hunger and thirst..."^[4]

References

^ Frisch, Mark F. (2004). You Might be Able to Get There from Here: Reconsidering Borges and the Postmodern. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-8386-4044-9. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
^ (in Portuguese) "Os dois reis e os dois labirintos" (2006), by Alexandre Luís de Mello. In: Itu.com.br. Consulted on January 3, 2010.
^ Boldy, Steven (2013). A Companion to Jorge Luis Borges. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-85566-266-7. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
^ Noys, Benjamin (28 December 2023). Crisis and Criticism: Literary, Cultural and Political Essays, 2009–2021. BRILL. p. 132. ISBN 978-90-04-68958-9. Retrieved 4 July 2024.

Bibliography

Borges, Jorge Luis. The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths.

Jorge Luis Borges

Bibliography

Original
collections

A Universal History of Infamy	"Man on Pink Corner" "On Exactitude in Science"
Ficciones	"Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" "The Approach to Al-Mu'tasim" "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" "The Circular Ruins" "The Lottery in Babylon" "An Examination of the Work of Herbert Quain" "The Library of Babel" "The Garden of Forking Paths" "Funes the Memorious" "The Form of the Sword" "Theme of the Traitor and the Hero" "Death and the Compass" "The Secret Miracle" "Three Versions of Judas" "The End" "The Sect of the Phoenix" "The South"
The Aleph	"The Immortal" "The Dead Man" "The Theologians" "Story of the Warrior and the Captive" "Emma Zunz" "The House of Asterion" "Deutsches Requiem" "Averroes's Search" "The Zahir" "The Writing of the God" "The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths" "The Wait" "The Man on the Threshold" "The Aleph"
Otras Inquisiciones (1937–1952)	"The Analytical Language of John Wilkins"
Dreamtigers	"Borges and I"
Dr. Brodie's Report	"The Encounter" "The Gospel According to Mark"
The Book of Sand	"The Other" "Ulrikke" "The Congress" "There Are More Things" "The Disk" "The Book of Sand"
Shakespeare's Memory	"Blue Tigers" "Shakespeare's Memory"