The Lottery in Babylon: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox short story | <!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels]] or [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Books]] --> |
{{Infobox short story | <!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels]] or [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Books]] --> |
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| name = The Lottery in Babylon |
| name = The Lottery in Babylon |
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| title_orig = La lotería en Babilonia |
| title_orig = La lotería en Babilonia |
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| translator = |
| translator = John M. Fain, Anthony Kerrigan, Norman Thomas di Giovanni, Andrew Hurley |
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| author = [[Jorge Luis Borges]] |
| author = [[Jorge Luis Borges]] |
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| country = [[Argentina]] |
| country = [[Argentina]] |
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"'''The Lottery in Babylon'''" ( |
"'''The Lottery in Babylon'''" (original [[Spanish language|Spanish]]: "La lotería en Babilonia", "The Babylon Lottery") is a [[fantasy]] [[short story]] by [[Argentines|Argentine]] writer [[Jorge Luis Borges]]. It first appeared in [[1941 in literature|1941]] in the literary magazine ''[[Sur (magazine)|Sur]]'', and was then included in the 1941 collection ''[[The Garden of Forking Paths]]'' (''El jardín de los senderos que se bifurcan''), which in turn became the part one of ''[[Ficciones]]'' (1944). |
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==Plot summary== |
==Plot summary== |
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The story describes a mythical [[Babylon]] in which all activities are dictated by an all-encompassing [[lottery]], a [[metaphor]] for the role of chance in one's life. Initially, the lottery was run as a lottery would be, with tickets purchased and the winner receiving a monetary reward. Later, punishments and larger monetary rewards were introduced. Further, participation became mandatory for all but the elite. Finally, it simultaneously became so all-encompassing and so secret some whispered "the Company has never existed, and never will." |
The story describes a mythical [[Babylon]] in which all activities are dictated by an all-encompassing [[lottery]], which people must live by, and has full control over many's lives, a [[metaphor]] for the role of chance in one's life. Initially, the lottery was run as a lottery would be, with tickets purchased and the winner receiving a monetary reward. Later, punishments and larger monetary rewards were introduced. Further, participation became mandatory for all but the elite. Finally, it simultaneously became so all-encompassing and so secret some whispered "the Company has never existed, and never will," and some even posited that the question of the existence of the Company was irrelevant, as Babylon "is nothing but an infinite game of chance." |
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==Themes== |
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A further interpretation is that the Lottery and the Company that runs it are actually an allegory of a deity or [[Zeus]]. Like the workings of a deity in the eyes of men, the Company that runs the Lottery acts, apparently, at random and through means not known by its subjects, leaving men with two options: to accept it to be all-knowing and all-powerful but mysterious, or to deny its existence. Both theories have supporters in this allegory. |
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The story is about the role that chance plays in life, whether occurrences are genuinely deserved or whether all of life is merely based on luck or loss. The story references [[Zeno's paradox]] by using the lottery as a metaphor for all the possible random occurrences that could occur between any two points in time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kasmana.people.cofc.edu/MATHFICT/mfview.php?callnumber=mf1227 |title = MathFiction: The Lottery in Babylon [La lotería en Babilonia] (Jorge Luis Borges)}}</ref> As with fate, the Babylonians attempted to gain control of the lottery by whispering in secret places, though the lottery eventually banned this as a liability. The story may be a criticism of the tendency of humans to claim the authority of nature and capitalize on it, as the Company does with chance. The Lottery cannot be challenged, as it is based on the absolute that is chance.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gradesaver.com/jorge-borges-short-stories/study-guide/summary-the-lottery-in-babylon-and-the-library-of-babel |title = Jorge Borges: Short Stories The Lottery in Babylon and The Library of Babel Summary and Analysis {{!}} GradeSaver}}</ref> As with most Borges stories, there is a bit of humor in this. At one point, a slave steals a lottery ticket that calls for the bearer's tongue to be burned off, which is the same penalty as for stealing a lottery ticket. The public then fight over whether the slave should be punished because it is the penalty for stealing or because it is what the ticket decreed. |
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In many other books, Borges dealt with metaphysical questions about the meaning of life and the possible existence of higher authorities, and also presented this same paradoxical vision of a world that may be run by a good and wise deity but seems to lack any discernible meaning. This view may also be considered present in "[[The Library of Babel]]" ("La biblioteca de Babel"), another Borges story. |
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Borges makes a brief reference to [[Franz Kafka]] as Qaphqa, the legendary Latrine where spies of the Company leave information. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Rota Fortunae]] - the wheel of fortune |
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* "[[The Lottery]]" |
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* "[[The Lottery]]" - short story by Shirley Jackson |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* Complete text of the story in the original Spanish: [http://sololiteratura.com/bor/borlaloteria.htm] |
* Complete text of the story in the original Spanish: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120705083306/http://sololiteratura.com/bor/borlaloteria.htm] |
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* Complete text of the story in English translation: [http://web.itu.edu.tr/~inceogl4/modernism/lotteryofbabylon.pdf] |
* Complete text of the story in English translation: [http://web.itu.edu.tr/~inceogl4/modernism/lotteryofbabylon.pdf] |
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[[Category:Fictional secret societies]] |
[[Category:Fictional secret societies]] |
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[[Category:Works originally published in Sur (magazine)]] |
[[Category:Works originally published in Sur (magazine)]] |
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[[Category:Argentine speculative fiction works]] |
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[[Category:Works about lotteries]] |
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{{story-stub}} |
{{1940s-fantasy-story-stub}} |
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Latest revision as of 15:49, 25 February 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
| "The Lottery in Babylon" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Jorge Luis Borges | |
| Original title | La lotería en Babilonia |
| Translator | John M. Fain, Anthony Kerrigan, Norman Thomas di Giovanni, Andrew Hurley |
| Land | Argentinien |
| Sprache | Spanish |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy, short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Ficciones |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | 1941 |
| Published in English | 1962 |
"The Lottery in Babylon" (original Spanish: "La lotería en Babilonia", "The Babylon Lottery") is a fantasy short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. It first appeared in 1941 in the literary magazine Sur, and was then included in the 1941 collection The Garden of Forking Paths (El jardín de los senderos que se bifurcan), which in turn became the part one of Ficciones (1944).
Plot summary
[edit]The story describes a mythical Babylon in which all activities are dictated by an all-encompassing lottery, which people must live by, and has full control over many's lives, a metaphor for the role of chance in one's life. Initially, the lottery was run as a lottery would be, with tickets purchased and the winner receiving a monetary reward. Later, punishments and larger monetary rewards were introduced. Further, participation became mandatory for all but the elite. Finally, it simultaneously became so all-encompassing and so secret some whispered "the Company has never existed, and never will," and some even posited that the question of the existence of the Company was irrelevant, as Babylon "is nothing but an infinite game of chance."
Themes
[edit]The story is about the role that chance plays in life, whether occurrences are genuinely deserved or whether all of life is merely based on luck or loss. The story references Zeno's paradox by using the lottery as a metaphor for all the possible random occurrences that could occur between any two points in time.[1] As with fate, the Babylonians attempted to gain control of the lottery by whispering in secret places, though the lottery eventually banned this as a liability. The story may be a criticism of the tendency of humans to claim the authority of nature and capitalize on it, as the Company does with chance. The Lottery cannot be challenged, as it is based on the absolute that is chance.[2] As with most Borges stories, there is a bit of humor in this. At one point, a slave steals a lottery ticket that calls for the bearer's tongue to be burned off, which is the same penalty as for stealing a lottery ticket. The public then fight over whether the slave should be punished because it is the penalty for stealing or because it is what the ticket decreed.
See also
[edit]- Rota Fortunae - the wheel of fortune
- "The Lottery" - short story by Shirley Jackson
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Complete text of the story in the original Spanish: [1]
- Complete text of the story in English translation: [2]
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