The Man on the Threshold
Short story by Jorge Luis Borges
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Man on the Threshold" (original Spanish title "El Hombre en el Umbral") is a short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. It was published in La Nación in April 1952 and added to the 1952 edition of the short story collection Aleph.[1]
| "The Man on the Threshold" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Jorge Luis Borges | |
| Original title | El Hombre en el Umbral |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
| Genre | short story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | La Nación |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | April 1952 |
Plot summary
A new governor, a Scotsman named David Alexander Glencairn (possibly based on John Nicholson),[2] is sent to a certain Muslim city in British India to restore order. He succeeds using violent measures, but after few years, mysteriously disappears. The narrator is assigned to find Glencairn. He goes to a certain address where a Muslim ceremony is being held. An old man on the threshold tells the narrator a story of a tyrant who was kidnapped and put to trial: he was judged by a madman and his verdict was death, which is implied to be the fate of Glencairn himself.[3]
Daniel Balderston argues that the central theme of the short story is the search for justice that transcends religion or power systems set in place by the powerful.[1]
