Borges' "El Sur" was included in a collection
under the heading "Ficciones" (1935-1944), but a check in the wikipedia
mentioned a still later date, namely 1953. I have no other sources to
reply to SA's attentive inquiry.
In his introductory remarks on "Ficções",
Davi Arrigucci Jr. argued that Borges may have been partially
influenced by the Italian philosopher Benedetto Croce, whose theories
opposed art and thought ( poetry reached universality through particularity by
an immediate rythmic apprehension of the universe. This rythm/texture was
set in opposition to systematic knowledge" ( based on B.Croce's "La
poesia", 1935).
Perhaps it was not only Borges' modern use of
self-reference and involutional tactics what led some readers to
compare Borges and Nabokov, but also B.Croce - but I cannot check if VN had ever
read Croce ( I didn't).
....................................................................................................................................
In my commentary on "mollitude", I forgot to
distinguish "malemolência" (noun) and "malemolente" (adj); S K-B (in off)
reminded me of "mollusks, mill, molar"... molasses, too?
Mary and AB enriched us with information about
the alpha-omega on skoramis and skora
(dung). If intuitive comparisons are any worth ( in Portuguese we
find "scum" as "escória, escuma, escumalha" ), the English
"scorify" could be related to "skoramis" ( just as
"scatological"). English "scoria"
("scorification", "scorify" ) is related to Gr. skoria ( refuse)
- not "scum", though, as I'd originally surmised - but we
shouldn't forget double-edged "skim" ( to isolate cream and scum).