Jorge Luis Borges

Jorge Luis Borges was an Argentine-born author. He was bilingual in English and Spanish early on due to his family's British heritage and attended college in Switzerland, where he continued to refine his literary skills and learned an additional two languages. After following a score of blossoming literary movements while in Spain, Borges returned to Argentina and started producing poetry, most of it relating to the urban backdrop, which was Buenos Aires.

Gradually, Borges shifted towards short stories. Still, his success was limited as Borges continued suffering through a menial day job. In 1938, Borges' father died, and Borges himself was devastatingly injured. For whatever reason, Borges had a breakthrough after this point, putting forth both El Aleph and Ficciones, widely considered the best works of his career.

Borges soon became an outspoken political activist against Argentine President Juan Perón, who consequently dismissed Borges from his role in the bureaucracy. Borges also became blind; this didn't stop him from continuing to write as he pivoted to far darker themes.

Late in his life, Borges took up teaching at the University of Buenos Aires. He would even travel abroad to teach, returning to Geneva, where he would eventually die of cancer. In recognition of his significant contributions to world literature, elevating Spanish pieces onto the world stage, Borges was awarded the Cervantes Prize in 1979.