Two stories by Esteban Borrero

Calófilo is the protagonist of the homonymous story and Apofemo, the protagonist of Cuestión de monedas. Their exotic names reveal the peculiar atmosphere that they have to live in their respective stories. They are stories that reflect the reflective, skeptical and pessimistic character of Esteban Borrero in order to understand the behaviors of the human race.
Linkgua ediciones has chosen Calófilo and Cuestión de Monedas because, in Borrero’s work, they are examples of how the author perceives the fragility of human existence.
Here Calphilus goes mad, while Apophemus travels to a city where gold has no value.
The narrative work of Esteban Borrero began with the publication of Calófilo, in the Revista de Cuba, in 1879. In Calófilo, the main character is torn between the precariousness of his existence and the search for pure forms of beauty, truth and art. This story shows the inseparable pessimism of the author that will accompany him throughout his literary career.
Years later, in 1899, he published Question of Coins, in the volume Easter Readings. Also done with illustrations made by his daughters, Dulce María and the then deceased Juana Borrero.
In Cuestión de Monedas, Esteban Borrero distances himself from the story of customs. It begins here to show a more reflective tone, close to philosophical speculation and an inclination towards the fantastic.