With only 3 published novels it may seem curious as to why Ernesto Sábato is considered one of the literary greats of Argentina, however his personal life and activities make his appeal more unique than that of a standard author. Born in Rojas, a province of Buenos Aires in 1911, he was involved with politics from his youth, a member of the Argentine Communist Youth Federation. After gaining his PhD in Physics, he later moved to Paris, France for a research position where he experienced the European surrealist movement first-hand, later to influence both his own work and that of other Latin American authors. After leaving science for writing he produced many essays in addition to 3 novels; many politically charged. Most notably, Sábato was the main author of the report Nunca más, on the atrocities committed in the Dirty War of Argentina which led to the prosecution of the responsible military leaders.
His first published novel, El túnel, came out in 1948 and tells the story of Juan Pablo Castel and his descent into an insane obsession with a woman named Maria. This obsession finally pushes him to murder her, and the events recounted in the novel are written from his jail cell. The two first meet at his gallery, where Maria is struck by his painting entitled ‘Maternity’, and Castel feels a connection to her, one he struggles to find with most people. He wanders the streets of Buenos Aires desperate to bump into her, which he does after many months. They start a relationship despite her being married, but Castel’s jealousy and irrationality causes the affair to break down, though he is still obsessed with the notion of fate, and the two being together, enough so that he eventually murders her for leaving him.
This short novel is concerned with existentialism to the extent that it has been compared to Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the character Castel laments the futility of existence: “A veces creo que nada tiene sentido.”, and takes pride in his solitude, while still longing to be understood. The name Juan Pablo is even a nod to Jean Paul Sartre, the philosopher who constructed existentialism. The story is also interesting when read psychologically, as Castel can be read as having an Oedipus complex, and his obsession with Maria is simply his search for a replacement mother figure - which makes the name of his painting over which the two bond, ’Maternity’, stand out, coupled with the fact then when he kills her he stabs her breasts and her stomach. Buenos Aires as a setting is important to the story, especially with its juxtaposition to the country ranch in Mar del Plata. While walking through the busy streets of the city you can almost feel as Castel did, desperately searching for Maria among the thousands of faces.
