Tángere

Tángere is a fictional place featured in the works of Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. It does not represent a real geographical location but rather a metaphorical or symbolic space within his literary universe. Tángere often appears in stories that explore themes of memory, dreams, labyrinths, and the nature of reality.

The concept of Tángere can be understood as a representation of a desired or imagined place, a sort of ideal city or homeland that exists more in the mind than in the physical world. It is often associated with a sense of longing or nostalgia for a past that may or may not have existed. In some of Borges's narratives, Tángere serves as a destination that characters seek, a place of ultimate knowledge or peace, though its attainment is usually elusive or proves to be illusory upon arrival.

The name itself, Tángere, echoes that of the real city of Tangier, Morocco, a historical crossroads and a place that has often been depicted as exotic and mysterious in literature. Borges, with his vast knowledge of literature and his penchant for creating intricate symbolic landscapes, likely drew inspiration from the real Tangier's reputation while transforming it into a purely conceptual space within his fiction. Tángere thus becomes a site of intellectual and emotional exploration, a testament to Borges's ability to construct worlds that are both familiar and profoundly strange.