King Charles XII of Sweden
The king of Sweden—which is pretty far away from the poet’s homeland, Argentina—appears as a character in the poem “Carlos XII.” Charles has been compared to Alexander the Great for his successful defense of his country against foreign enemies over nearly two decades. Just as Charles admired Alexander as the model for an enlightened leader, so did Borges admire the Swedish monarch.
Robert Browning
The English poet who may be more famous to some as the husband of Elizabeth Barrett has been singled out by many scholars as an enormous influence on not just the poetry of Borges, but his prose as well. He notably appears as the title character in the poem “Browning Decides to be a Poet.”
"The Golem"
The title character of this poem is based on the Jewish legend of a man made of clay who is brought to life. More specifically, however, Borges was inspired by the early 20th century novel of the same name by Gustav Meyrink.
"The Other Tiger"
The title character of this poem is complex. The speaker brings to mind the image of a tiger while sitting in a library as the days moves to twilight. What he thinks of when he thinks of a tiger, he realizes, has more to do with the images of the concept of a tiger learned from literature than any actual Bengal cat. It is a poem, essentially, about the power of language in which the tiger is both metaphor and literal.
Walt Whitman
In 1969, Borges published a translation of Whitman’s definitive collection Leaves of Grass. The extent to which Whitman held influence over Borges is probably better demonstrated with the line which concludes the poem titled “Camden, 1892.”
“I was once Walt Whitman.”
