SOLVED. Fiction story most likely by Borges [s]

[Daniyal]

The story was most likely titled "the Anti Zahir" and i stumbled onto it when reading Jorge Luis Borges, and so think its most likely to be written by him although after searching far and wide i have not been able to get a name.

It was about a person who goes to live in the house of an old man who is able to remember everything. Everything. There was a reference to the number of flies that sat on the back of a bull/horse. But there is a pepper grinder ( or salt shaker) that he couldn't remember and he get obsessed about not remembering it.

I cant remember much else (oh the irony) about the story, the main reason that i want to read it again.

if you could send a link with the story pdf or perhaps a wikipedia page or some info that gives the exact title and author, i'd be grateful.

Thanks,

Daniyal

[Megan]

I think this is the story you're looking for.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funes_...

[Daphne]

So there's this link:

http://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/borges...

which claims to be a story called "The Zahir" by Borges, and has the plot the OP describes.

However the description at

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zahir

doesn't match this plot. Also the story itself is at

http://southerncrossreview.org/66/bor...

and matches Wikipedia, but doesn't match the OP's description. I am confused.

[Daphne]

Aha, I think the story is actually by Mark Jason Dominus.

'Dominus is also the author of a short story, " The Zahir", which plays on the characters and themes of two other stories by Jorge Luis Borges, "El Zahir" and "Funes, El Memorioso".' -- from the link at http://www.paperbackswap.com/Mark-Jas...

[Daniyal]

Yes, thank you it was the Zahir and quite ironically i read the name quite a few times in my search yet it didnt seem to ring a bell so i didnt go check it out but thank you for the mit link and it is the story I was looking for.

[Kate]

Daniyal, which Zahir? by Dominus or by Borges?