Ernesto Sabato (June 24, 1911 – April 30, 2011) was an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary world throughout Latin America". Upon his death ''

El País ''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...

'' dubbed him the "last classic writer in Argentine literature". Sabato was distinguished by his bald pate and brush moustache and wore tinted spectacles and open-necked shirts. He was born in Rojas, a small town in

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...

. Sabato began his studies at the Colegio Nacional de La Plata. He then studied

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

at the

Universidad Nacional de La Plata The La Plata National University ( es, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, UNLP) is one of the most important Argentine national universities and the biggest one situated in the city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires Province. It has over ...

, where he earned a PhD. He then attended the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris and worked at the Curie Institute. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he lost interest in science and started writing. Sabato's oeuvre includes three novels: ''

El Túnel EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

'' (1948), '' Sobre héroes y tumbas'' (1961) and '' Abaddón el exterminador'' (1974). The first of these received critical acclaim upon its publication from, among others, fellow writers

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

and

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...

. The second is regarded as his masterpiece, though he nearly burnt it like many of his other works. Sabato's essays cover topics as diverse as

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

, politics and

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

. His writings led him to receive many international prizes, including the

Miguel de Cervantes Prize The Miguel de Cervantes Prize ( es, Premio de Literatura en Lengua Castellana Miguel de Cervantes) is awarded annually to honour the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language. History The prize was established in 1975 ...

(Spain), the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(France), the

Jerusalem Prize The Jerusalem Prize for the Freedom of the Individual in Society is a biennial literary award given to writers whose works have dealt with themes of human freedom in society. It is awarded at the Jerusalem International Book Forum (previously kn ...

(Israel), and the

Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger The Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book Prize) is a French literary prize created in 1948. It is awarded yearly in two categories: Novel and Essay for books translated into French. Prix du Meilleur livre étranger — Novel *2020: ...

(France). At the request of President

Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after more than ...

, he presided over the

CONADEP National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (Spanish: ', CONADEP) was an Argentine organization created by President Raúl Alfonsín on 15 December 1983, shortly after his inauguration, to investigate the fate of the ''desaparecidos'' (v ...

Commission that investigated the fate of those who suffered

forced disappearance An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...

during the

Dirty War The Dirty War ( es, Guerra sucia) is the name used by the military junta or civic-military dictatorship of Argentina ( es, dictadura cívico-militar de Argentina, links=no) for the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 a ...

of the 1970s. The result of these findings was published in 1984, bearing the title ''Nunca Más'' (''Never Again'').

Biography

Early years

Ernesto Sabato was born in

Rojas Rojas is a surname found throughout the Spanish-speaking world, especially in Latin America. Rojas may refer to: People A *Adrián Rojas (born 1977), Chilean professional football player *Aguelmis Rojas (born 1978), Cuban long-distance runner ...

, son of Francesco Sabato and Giovanna Maria Ferrari, Italian immigrants from

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. His father was from

Fuscaldo Fuscaldo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the ...

, and his mother was an

Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arbënesh/Arbëresh originally meant all Albanians, until the 18th century. Today it is used for different groups of Albanian origin, including: * Arbër (given name), an Albanian masculine given name * Arbëresh ...

(

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

minority in Italy) from

San Martino di Finita San Martino di Finita ( aae, Shën Mërtiri) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It was founded in the late 15th-early 16th centuries by Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arb ...

."Juana María Ferrari, de ascendencia italiana y albanesa. Francisco Sabato, de origen italiano

/ref> He was the tenth of a total of 11 children. Being born after his ninth brother's death, he carried on his name "Ernesto". Antes del fin, Ernesto Sabato; Capítulo I, In 1924 he finished primary school in Rojas and settled in the city of

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...

for his secondary education at the Colegio Nacional de La Plata. There he met professor

Pedro Henríquez Ureña Pedro Henríquez Ureña (June 29, 1884 – May 11, 1946) was a Dominican essayist, philosopher, humanist, philologist and literary critic. Biography Early works Pedro Henríquez Ureña was born in Santo Domingo, the third of four siblings. He ...

, an early inspiration for his writing career.Diario La Nación: Evocan a Pedro Henríquez Ureña, gran humanista dominicano
/ref> In 1929 he started college, attending the School of Physics and Mathematics at the

. He was an active member in the ''

Reforma Universitaria REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, more commonly known as REFORMA, is an affiliate of the American Library Association formed in 1971 to promote library services to Lati ...

'' movement, founding "Insurrexit Group" in 1933 – of communist ideals – together with Héctor P. Agosti, Ángel Hurtado de Mendoza and Paulino González Alberdi, among others. In 1933 he was elected Secretario General of the Federación Juvenil Comunista (Communist Youth Federation).Biografía de Ernesto Sabato en Autores de Argentina.
While attending a lecture about

Marxism Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

he met Matilde Kusminsky Richter, aged 17, who would leave her parents' house to live with Sabato.Homenaje de Matilde a Sabato.
In 1934 he started to doubt Communism and

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

's regime. The

Communist Party of Argentina The Communist Party of Argentina ( es, Partido Comunista de la Argentina, also simply known as "PC") is a communist party in Argentina. The party now forms part of the Frente de Todos, the ruling coalition supporting President Alberto Fern� ...

, which had noted this, sent him to the

International Lenin School The International Lenin School (ILS) was an official training school operated in Moscow, Soviet Union, by the Communist International from May 1926 to 1938. It was resumed after the Second World War and run by the Communist Party of the Soviet Unio ...

for two years. According to Sabato, "it was a place where either you recovered or ended up in a

gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

".Cronología de Ernesto Sabato.
Before arriving at Moscow, he traveled to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

as a delegate from the Communist Party of Argentina at the "Congress against Fascism and the War". Once there, fearing not coming back from Moscow, he left the congress to escape to Paris. It was there where he wrote his first novel: ''La Fuente Muda'', which remains unpublished. Once back in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, in 1936, he married Matilde Kusminsky Richter.

His years as a scientist

In 1938 he obtained his PhD in

from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Thanks to Bernardo Houssay, he was granted a research fellowship in

atomic radiation Ionizing radiation (or ionising radiation), including nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have sufficient energy to ionize atoms or molecules by detaching electrons from them. Some particles can travel ...

at the Curie Institute in Paris. On May 25, 1938 Jorge Federico Sabato, his first son, was born. While in France he made contact with the

surrealist movement Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

, studying the works of

Oscar Domínguez Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

Benjamin Péret Benjamin Péret (4 July 1899 – 18 September 1959) was a French poet, Parisian Dadaist and a founder and central member of the French Surrealist movement with his avid use of Surrealist automatism. Biography Benjamin Péret was born in Rezé, ...

, Roberto Matta Echaurren and Esteban Francés among others. This would have a deep influence on his future writing. In 1939 he transferred to the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. Once in 1940 he came back to Argentina intent on leaving physics behind. However, serving an obligation to those responsible for his fellowship Sabato started teaching at the Universidad de La Plata for Engineering admission, and relativity and

quantum mechanic Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...

s for post graduate degrees. In 1943, due to an "existential crisis", he left science for good to become a full-time writer and painter. In 1945, his second son, Mario Sabato was born.

Writing career

In 1941, Sabato published his first literary work, an article about ''

La invención de Morel ''La invención de Morel'' (; 1940) — translated as ''The Invention of Morel'' or ''Morel's Invention'' — is a novel by Argentine writer Adolfo Bioy Casares. It was Bioy Casares' breakthrough effort, for which he won the 1941 First Mu ...

'' by

Adolfo Bioy Casares Adolfo Bioy Casares (; 15 September 1914 – 8 March 1999) was an Argentine fiction writer, journalist, diarist, and translator. He was a friend and frequent collaborator with his fellow countryman Jorge Luis Borges. He is the author of the Fan ...

, in the magazine ''Teseo'' from

. Also, in concert with

, he published a collaboration in the renowned '' Sur'' magazine. In 1942, working for ''Sur'' magazine reviewing books, he was put in charge of the "Calendario" section and participated in "Desagravio a

Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...

" in ''Sur'' nº 94. He also published articles in ''

La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal '' Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argentina. Its motto is: "''La Nac ...

'' and a translation of '' The Birth and Death of the Sun'' by

George Gamow George Gamow (March 4, 1904 – August 19, 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov ( uk, Георгій Антонович Гамов, russian: Георгий Антонович Гамов), was a Russian-born Soviet and American polymath, theoreti ...

. The following year he published a translation of ''The ABC of Relativity'' by

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, and public intellectual. He had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, ...

. In 1945, his first book, ''Uno y el Universo'', a series of essays criticizing the apparent moral neutrality of science and warning about dehumanization processes in technological societies, was published; with time he would turn towards a

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

and

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

standing. That same year he was awarded a prize by the municipality of

for his book and the honor wand of the Sociedad Argentina de Escritores. In 1948, after being rejected by several Buenos Aires editors, Sabato published in ''Sur'' his first novel, ''

El túnel EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

'', a

psychological novel In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...

narrated in the first person. Framed in

existentialism Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...

, it was met with enthusiastic reviews by

, who had Gallimard publish a French translation. It has been further translated to more than 10 languages.Biografía de Ernesto Sabato en Solo Argentina
Others who enjoyed the book included

. France's literary industry named Sabato's book ''Abaddon, el Exterminador'' (''The Angel of Darkness'') the best foreign book of 1976. In 1998 Sabato's wife died. In 1999 he acquired

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

citizenship in addition to his original Argentine nationality. Sabato died in

Santos Lugares Santos Lugares is a town in the southeast of the partido of Tres de Febrero. It is part of the urban agglomeration of Greater Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires Province, northeast of the Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autono ...

on April 30, 2011, two months short of his 100th birthday. His death was the result of

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

, according to his companion and collaborator Elvira González Fraga. The Spanish newspaper '' El Mundo'' said he had been "the last surviving Argentine writer with a capital W".

Works

Novels

* 1948: ''

'' (Translated by Harriet de Onis in 1950 as ''The Outsider'' and again by Margaret Sayers Peden in 1988 as ''The Tunnel'') * 1961: '' Sobre héroes y tumbas'' (Translated by Helen R. Lane in 1981 as ''On Heroes and Tombs'') * 1974: '' Abaddón el exterminador'' (Translated by Andrew Hurley in 1991 as ''The Angel of Darkness'')

Essays

* 1945: '' Uno y el Universo'' (''One and the Universe'') * 1951: ''Hombres y engranajes'
(Man and Mechanism)
* 1953: ''Heterodoxia'' (''Heterodoxy'') * 1956: ''El caso Sabato. Torturas y libertad de prensa. Carta abierta al General Aramburu'' (''The Sabato Case. Tortures and Liberty of Press. Open Letter to General Aramburu'') * 1956: ''El otro rostro del peronismo'' (''The Other Face of Peronism'') * 1963: ''El escritor y sus fantasmas'' (Translated by Asa Zatz in 1990 as ''The Writer in the Catastrophe of our Time''.) * 1963: ''Tango, discusión y clave'' (''Tango: Discussion and Key'') * 1967: ''Significado de Pedro Henríquez Ureña'' (''Significance of Pedro Henríquez Ureña'') * 1968: ''Tres aproximaciones a la literatura de nuestro tiempo: Robbe-Grillet, Borges, Sartre'' (''Three Approximations to the Literature of our Time:

Robbe-Grillet Robbe-Grillet is a compound surname. Notable people with this surname include: * Alain Robbe-Grillet (1922–2008), French writer and filmmaker * Catherine Robbe-Grillet Catherine Robbe-Grillet (; ''née'' Rstakian; born 24 September 1930) is ...

Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...

'') * 1973: ''La cultura en la encrucijada nacional'' (''Culture in the National Crossroads'') * 1976: ''Diálogos con Jorge Luis Borges'' (''Dialogues with Jorge Luis Borges'') (Edited by Orlando Barone) * 1979: ''Apologías y rechazos'' (''Apologies and Rebuttals'') * 1979: ''Los libros y su misión en la liberación e integración de la América Latina'' (''Books and their Mission in the Liberation and Integration of Latin America'') * 1988: ''Entre la letra y la sangre. Conversaciones con Carlos Catania'' (''Between Letter and Blood. Conversations with Carlos Catania'') * 1998: ''Antes del fin'' (''Before the End'') ::''Antes del fin'' is an autobiography in which he recounts his life and the influences on his political and ethical opinions. Sabato discusses the ill effects of globalization and the exalting of rationalism and materialism. There are also several tender passages about his school experiences in the 1920s (when there was more

idealism In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...

, Sabato says), about his deceased wife and son, Matilde and Jorge, and about the struggling workers he meets on the streets of

. * 2000: ''La resistencia'
(The Resistance)
* 2004: ''España en los diarios de mi vejez'' (''Spain in the Diaries of my Old Age'')

Others

* 1964: ''Itinerario'' (''Itinerary'') * 1966: ''Romance de la muerte de Juan Lavalle. Cantar de Gesta'' (''Romance of

Juan Lavalle Juan Galo Lavalle (17 October 1797 – 9 October 1841) was an Argentine military and political figure. Biography Lavalle was born in Buenos Aires to María Mercedes González Bordallo and Manuel José Lavalle, general accountant of rents and t ...

's Death.

Cantar de gesta A ''cantar de gesta'' is the Spanish equivalent of the Old French medieval ''chanson de geste'' or "songs of heroic deeds". The most important ''cantares de gesta'' of Castile were: * The '' Cantar de Mio Cid'', where the triumph of the true no ...

'') * 1984: ''Nunca más. Informe de la Comisión Nacional sobre la desaparición de personas'' (''Never Again. Report from the

National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (Spanish: ', CONADEP) was an Argentine organization created by President Raúl Alfonsín on 15 December 1983, shortly after his inauguration, to investigate the fate of the ''desaparecidos'' (vi ...

'')

Tribute

On 24 June 2019, on Sábato's 108th birthday, he was honored with a

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

References

External links

* *
''Interview with Ernesto Sábato: a sense of wonder''
''The UNESCO Courier'', August 1990 *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabato, Ernesto 1911 births 2011 deaths People from Rojas Partido Argentine male writers Argentine physicists Argentine people of Italian descent Argentine people of Arbëreshë descent Argentine people of Calabrian descent Premio Cervantes winners National University of La Plata alumni University of Paris alumni International Lenin School alumni Jerusalem Prize recipients Psychological fiction writers