"In Buenos Aires, 1964, a blind writer approaches a sixteen-year-old bookstore clerk asking him if he would be interested in a part-time job reading aloud.

"The writer was Jorge Luis Borges, one of the world's finest literary minds; the boy was Alberto Manguel, who was later to become an internationally acclaimed author and bibliophile.

"The young Manguel spent several years reading aloud and transcribing for the enigmatic Borges. Here he recalls his time with integrity and warmth, offering us an intimate and moving portrait of on of the great literary luminaries."

• from the back cover of the 2006 Telegram edition