Borges, Jorge Luis

Jorge Luis Borges was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was first educated at home with his grandmother teaching him to read, first in English, then in Spanish. Borges later wrote that his father's library with books both in Spanish and in English was the chief event in his life. The father was a lawyer with a keen interest in literature. Jorge Luis was encouraged to read from an early age, and the library opened his eyes to the world. He started to attend school at the age of nine. The same year he was able to see his first work – a translation of Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince – in print.