The House of Asterion
The House of Asterion by Jorge Luis Borgesby Jorge Luis Borges
Shares rank 18 of 32 short stories by recommenders
People recommend this short story for its beautiful writing and for how its context gives it more weight in hindsight. Critics raised no complaints.
People recommend this short story for its beautiful writing and for how its context gives it more weight in hindsight. Critics raised no complaints.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Beautifully written, praised as exceptional
“the most beautifully written thing I have ever read”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Exactitude in Science – Borges (1946) [pdf]” “It's such a beautiful tale.”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Exactitude in Science – Borges (1946) [pdf]” Gains meaning with added context
“it's now beautiful in hindsight with the context”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Exactitude in Science – Borges (1946) [pdf]” Strong emotional reaction on first reading
“Holy cow, that was amazing.”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Exactitude in Science – Borges (1946) [pdf]”
Other short stories people recommend
The four most recommended other short stories, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Last Questionby Isaac Asimov | 50 | 2 | 96% | 6 | 52 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| There Will Come Soft Rainsby Ray Bradbury | 27 | 3 | 90% | 4 | — | Approved |
| They're Made Out of Meatby Terry Bisson | 17 | 4 | 81% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Lenaby qntm | 16 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The House of Asterionby Jorge Luis BorgesThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it's now beautiful in hindsight with the context”
“It's such a beautiful tale.”
“Holy cow, that was amazing.”
“the most beautifully written thing I have ever read”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.