“The Argentine Writer and Tradition”, 1951 (; backlinks):
[Borges considers the problem of whether Argentinian writing on non-Argentinian subjects can still be truly “Argentine.” His conclusion:]
…We should not be alarmed and that we should feel that our patrimony is the universe; we should essay all themes, and we cannot limit ourselves to purely Argentine subjects in order to be Argentine; for either being Argentine is an inescapable act of fate—and in that case we shall be so in all events—or being Argentine is a mere affectation, a mask. I believe that if we surrender ourselves to that voluntary dream which is artistic creation, we shall be Argentine and we shall also be good or tolerable writers.
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