Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (1899-1986) spoke both Spanish and English at his home. Even at an early age, Borges was bilingual, reading un-translated Shakespeare at the age of 12. In 1914, his family moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where his father's failing eyesight (the same affliction that would impact Jorge Borges's life) required the attention of an eye specialist. In Geneva, Borges learned French and German and received his B.A. from the Collège de Genève in 1918. After World War I, the Borges family traveled considerably, and upon returning to Buenos Aires, Borges began his writing career in earnest. After the dictator Juan Perón came to power, Borges became disillusioned with the Argentinian government. Not long after, he began suffering from glaucoma and could write very little, so he switched to the occupation of public lecturer. Although he was politically persecuted, he became a very important public figure and obtained the position of President of the Argentine Society of Writers and then Professor of English and American Literature at the Argentine Association of English Culture. A poet, critic, and lecturer, Borges was one of the foremost literary figures of the twentieth century.