The sincerest form of flattery: A note on Bruce Chatwin's The 'Estate of Maximilian Tod' as an imitation of Borges

In Anatomy of Restlessness, an anthology of previously uncollected essays, stories and reviews by Bruce Chatwin, there is a tale which resounds with echoes of the narrative art of Jorge Luis Borges, a writer renowned for his mastery of the short-story genre. Chatwin's piece, "The Estate of Maximilian Tod", share features of unmistakable likeness with certain of the cuentos gathered in Borges's most celebrated volume, Ficciones. This essay seeks to elucidate these similarities, noting self-evident resemblances, such as South American settings and thematic parities, together with correspondences of a more intricate brand, including those of style, vocabulary and structure.