La Alfaguara publishing house has launched a broad project to publish the complete works of Jorge Luis Borges in the Spanish-speaking world, with a particular presence in Spain and several Latin American countries. The plan envisions a staggered release schedule starting in 2026, which will bring back his short stories, essays, poetry, and lectures in definitive editions designed for both regular readers and new generations.
This publishing operation, which will be coordinated in Spain and Latin America almost simultaneouslyThis initiative is part of the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the death of the Argentine writer, which falls on June 14, 2026. Beyond the symbolic date, the stated objective of the Penguin Random House group, to which Alfaguara belongs, is to relaunch Borges' presence in bookstores in the long term and consolidate carefully prepared and complete editions of all his production.
A comprehensive construction project intended to last.
The core of the publishing plan involves offering, in several volumes, the entirety of the narrative workBorges's essays and poetryAlfaguara will handle the edition for Spain and much of Latin America, while in Argentina the work will continue to be published by Sudamericana, also part of the same publishing group. This dual approach allows for respecting Borges's tradition in his country of origin while simultaneously unifying editorial criteria in other markets.
The initiative comes after years in which Borges's catalog was scattered among different publishers and editions that were not always easy to find. With this project, Penguin Random House seeks to concentrate and organize the legacy The author's work is published under the Alfaguara imprint, which already has a strong presence in Spanish and European bookstores, as well as in Latin America. The intention is for the books to remain a part of the publisher's backlist and not simply a one-off event tied to an anniversary.
In addition to the print publication, the consortium has announced that the The work will be re-released in all available formatsThis includes digital editions and, foreseeably, paperbacks and audiobooks in the medium term. This multi-format strategy aims to bring Borges to diverse audiences, from the specialized reader to those approaching his literature for the first time.
Alongside the publishing rollout, it is anticipated that events will be organized throughout the year cultural activities and initiatives to celebrate Borges as one of the great names in contemporary literature. Although details of all the events have not yet been finalized, the plan includes conferences, meetings, and outreach activities in various countries, with a particular focus on Spain and Europe.
Schedule and contents of the first releases
The project will begin in 2026 with the publication of three large reference volumesThe complete short stories, complete essays, and complete poetry of Borges. These books will form the basis upon which individual titles and previously difficult-to-find materials, such as certain lectures, will be added at later dates.
The announced plan anticipates that the volume of Complete stories, gathered in chronological orderThis collection includes all the short story collections published by Borges throughout his life. It comprises fundamental works such as Historia universal de la infamia, Fictions, The Aleph, El informe de Brodie, The sand book y Shakespeare's memoryIn this way, the reader will be able to follow the evolution of his short story writing from his first experiments to his final texts.
For its part, the volume of Complete essays will offer a new text configuration According to the publishing group, the new volume will include materials organized differently than before. It will bring together nine essential books from Borges's essayistic output. Inquisitions, The size of my hope, The language of Argentinians, Evaristo Carriego, Discussion, History of Eternity, Other inquisitions, seven nights y Nueve ensayos dantescosThis reorganization aims to facilitate continuous and comparative readings.
The third pillar of this first phase will be Complete poetry, spanning six decades of writingat Buenos Aires Fervor to The conspiratorsThe tour will include titles such as Moon in front, San MartÃn's Notebook, The maker, The other one, the same, For the six strings, Praise of the shadow, The gold of the tigers, The deep rose, The iron coin, Story of the Night y The amountThe collection will allow one to contemplate Borges's poetic trajectory in its entirety, something especially useful for scholars and readers who wish to follow the changes in tone and themes over time.
Beyond these three core books, Alfaguara has designed a calendar of new releases and reissues which will run throughout 2026 and 2027. Among the featured titles are individual volumes of such influential stories as The Aleph o Fictions, as well as the restoration of works less frequented by the general public, such as El informe de Brodie o The gold of the tigersThe idea is that large compilations can coexist with more manageable editions of specific books.
Stories, essays and poetry: the complete map of a decisive author
As the publisher points out, Borges' stories constitute one of the central milestones of 20th-century literatureBoth for their rigorous construction and for the philosophical imagination they display, these stories blend enigma, erudition, plays on time, and reflections on destiny and identity. By bringing all his short stories together in a single volume, a precise map is drawn of how Borges expanded the boundaries between philosophy and fiction.
The stories, often conceived as experiments with the possibilities of language and timeThese stories are read today as a kind of narrative laboratory. Each tale tests an idea—a labyrinth, an infinite book, a double, an imaginary encyclopedia—and takes it to its ultimate literary consequences. This approach, which was disruptive at the time, has influenced authors in Europe and America and remains a reference point in literary theory studies.
In the field of the essay, Borges combined scholarly commentary with a a very personal view on Western traditionHis writings on Dante, classical philosophers, theology, and Eastern literatures read as both critical pieces and narratives of ideas, in which conceptual precision coexists with meticulous prose. This new edition of his essays, with a revised layout, aims to offer a unified view of this intellectual facet.
Poetry, for its part, occupies a less visible place for the general public, but it is fundamental to understanding his creative universe. His verses intertwine memories of Buenos Aires, metaphysical reflection, references to Anglo-Saxon culture, and Borges's own personal myths. Having access to all the poetic production gathered and arrangedIt is easier to appreciate the stylistic shifts, stages, and recurring obsessions from the earliest books to the later ones.
Alfaguara's project is not limited to reissuing canonical texts: it also includes a volume of unpublished or difficult-to-access lecturesThis will allow readers to experience the author's spoken voice, his way of explaining literature, and his commentary on his readings. This supplementary material helps to complete the picture of Borges as a tireless reader and disseminator of stories and ideas, beyond the works he himself authored.
Impact in Spain, Europe and the Spanish-speaking world
In the European context, and especially in Spain, the coordinated publication of Borges's work by Alfaguara This will have a significant impact on universities, reading clubs, and specialized circuits. Having standardized and up-to-date editions facilitates the adoption of these books in curricula, seminars, and comparative literature courses, both in Spanish and in other languages.
For Spanish readers, consolidating the catalog under a single imprint will allow find the fundamental titles more easily in general bookstores and department stores, as well as on online sales platforms. The presence of such a broad project can also help public and university libraries renew their holdings and update their collections of Latin American literature.
In Latin America, the strategy involves a simultaneous or very close launch dates Regarding Spain, this strengthens the circulation of Borges's work on both sides of the Atlantic. The only exception will be Argentina, where the tradition of publishing through the Sudamericana imprint will be maintained, guaranteeing continuity for local readers and leveraging that publisher's long-standing relationship with the author.
Across the Spanish-speaking world, Penguin Random House's commitment to relaunching the work in all formats opens the door to... new audiences They are becoming more familiar with Borges, especially young readers who may have only encountered him through fragments or school anthologies. The combination of large compilations and individual volumes provides different entry points into his universe.
With this publishing effort, Jorge Luis Borges's figure is once again placed at the center of the literary landscape, not only as an undisputed classic, but as an author whose work continues to generate readings, debates, and rereadings. Alfaguara's commitment to a systematic and long-term publishing model It aims to consolidate a reference catalog that will accompany readers, critics and scholars in Spain, Europe and Latin America for years.
