June 14 40 years have passed since the death of Jorge Luis Borgesa round anniversary that will call, throughout 2026, important tributes in Argentina and in the world. The writer, one of the most influential of the 20th century, continues to be read, studied and admired by readers and specialists from all over the planet. Among us, his mark has marked the majority of Argentine writers and is an unavoidable presence in our literary tradition.
But his legacy has also been in the news for more specific reasons. María Kodama, heir to the assets and creations of Jorge Luis Borges, died in 2023 without determining in whose hands the writer’s works would remain. The five children of his brother Jorge – Mariana del Socorro, Martín Nicolás, María Victoria, Matías and María Belén – presented themselves to his succession, and the inheritance was awarded to them. The situation generated great controversies that are still the subject of debate and criticism today. Can these inexperienced heirs, even with the best of intentions, handle the work of such an important writer? That was the question that editors, agents, cultural journalists and university professors asked themselves when they heard the news of the unexpected inheritance. Even more unexpected because the majority of specialists believed, based on Kodama’s statements, that the rights to Borges’ stories, essays and poems would end up under the domain of some North American university, one of those that had so celebrated the author of “El Aleph” during his lifetime.
Today the legacy is a fait accompli and is in the hands of the Kodama. Four of them make up the Board of Directors of the Jorge Luis Borges International Foundationthe organization created by María Kodama to disseminate her husband’s work. The Foundation works at the headquarters of the Borges Museum, a mansion next to the site where the author wrote one of his most famous stories, “The Circular Ruins.” His widow bought it for this purpose and to house the writer’s important library.
Three years have passed since her death and her nephews have been slowly taking care of the tasks to which María dedicated her life: the protection and administration of Borges’ work.
It was at the Museum headquarters, in Recoleta, that María Victoria and Mariana received NOTICIAS to tell us about the current status of this legacy and the tributes they will pay to the writer for the 40 years since his death. After a brief tour of the museum’s permanent exhibition, this is how the talk with them went.
News: Let’s do a little memory. What happened when they realized that they were the heirs of Borges’ legacy? Were they scared, were they worried?
Mariana Kodama: From worry, we move to occupation. We tried to keep everything going the same way it came. The Jorge Luis Borges Foundation, created by María Kodama, invited us to join as members. This house where it works was María’s and now it is ours. The library and all the objects in it now belong to us. We thought about it and agreed. It seemed to us that we had to at least try. It was an important challenge, a responsibility and a way to continue the work that María had done for so many years.
News: When María died there was talk of two apartments she owned where there was the possibility of finding a will. What happened until they were declared heirs?
María Victoria Kodama: By order of Justice, everything that was in those departments was verified. And there was no will. What could have historical and cultural value was recorded. Most of Borges’ things were in this house because that is what the Foundation was created for. María was a studious, intelligent person, it was her decision not to dictate a will. But we have no way of knowing.
News: Until now, you have respected his ideas in the administration of Borges’s estate. Do you think that could change in the future?
Mariana Kodama: In this first instance it seems very important to us to be cautious, measured and follow the same line as María, because in turn she followed that of Borges.
News: Does the Foundation receive any type of aid from the Argentine state?
María Victoria Kodama: No. But it is important to highlight that we always sign collaboration agreements with both the national government and the city of Buenos Aires. From both sides we try to contribute what each one can to be able to carry out different activities, open to the public.
News: Who is the person you trust the most when you have to make a decision regarding the works?
Mariana Kodama: The agency is The Wyley Agency (N. of R: one of the most important literary agencies in the world, based in the United States). It is the one that María chose to negotiate and consider all types of authorization regarding Borges’ work. We also trust the editors at Penguin Random House. Fernando Flores Maio, María Eugenia Vidaurre, Fernando Soto and Lucas Adur are part of the Foundation’s board. And we have an academic committee that advises us made up of specialists from Argentina and the world.
News: Since the news of the inheritance became known, there has been a lot of criticism towards you. Which one impacted you the most?
María Victoria Kodama: I generally don’t read the notes we give or the comments. I don’t get involved. But sometimes there are things we laugh at. Someone once said that we don’t look Japanese.
News: What tasks do you have ahead of you at the moment?
Mariana Kodama: Our priority today is to digitize the Borges library that is in the museum. He has books that belonged to his father and his grandmother, there are encyclopedias and Bibles that naturally deteriorate over time. In 2007 a major restoration was carried out. If it were digitized, it could be accessed from anywhere in the world through a platform, without damaging the books.
News: How do you plan the tribute to Borges 40 years after his death?
María Victoria Kodama: María did not like to commemorate Borges’s death. That’s why the Days he organized every year were always around the birth. But these days we participate in the exhibition “Borges: echoes of a name” that opened at the Recoleta Cultural Center. There you can see Borges’ room that belongs to the Museum and the manuscript of “The Circular Ruins” drawn by him.
Mariana Kodama: At the Usina del Arte there will be a reading by Cecilia Roth and Chano Moreno Charpentier and Pedro Aznar will sing. We did this with the City government and Penguin Random House, on June 14, with free admission. That day also, with the Argentine Embassy in Switzerland, a commemorative event will be organized in Geneva, in the cemetery where Borges is buried. Our brother, Matías, will be present there. This event will be accompanied by talks and conferences at different universities in Switzerland.
María Victoria Kodama: Last year we relaunched the magazine “Proa” directed by Borges with a special issue dedicated to “Fervor de Buenos Aires”. This year we relaunched the wall magazine “Prisma”. These two magazines are an important project of the Foundation. In October we are going to make a donation to the Instituto Cervantes, to the Caja de las Letras, invited by the director, Luis García Montero. In this year when there is so much interest in different parts of the world to remember Borges, we want everyone to have our support and collaboration. Our main interest is that his work endures and that new readers come to it.
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