ABSTRACT
In the final paragraphs of Averroes’ Search, Borges, the author, steps forth from behind the curtain of his prose and addresses his readers directly, telling us that his story mocked, foiled, and thwarted him at every turn, making him realize that trying to imagine Averroes was ultimately as difficult as Averroes attempting to imagine the meaning of comedy and tragedy without ever having seen a play. But failure is a crucial part of any artistic process. Art is never all-knowing, complete, or perfect. This is perhaps best summed up in Samuel Beckett’s modest hope, at the start of each a new work, that he might, “fail better.”
