Ernesto Sabato

Ernesto Sábato
Sabato in 1970
Sabato in 1970
Born(1911-06-24)June 24, 1911
Rojas, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
DiedApril 30, 2011(2011-04-30) (aged 99)
Santos Lugares, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
OccupationNovelist and essayist, painter[1]
LanguageSpanish
EducationPhD in Physics
Alma materUniversidad Nacional de La Pampa
Period1941–2004
GenreNovel, essay
Notable worksEl Túnel
Sobre héroes y tumbas
Abaddón el exterminador
Notable awardsLegion of Honour
Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
Miguel de Cervantes Prize
Jerusalem Prize
SpouseMatilde Kusminsky Richter (1936–1998)
Children2, including Mario
Signature
"E. Sabato"

Ernesto Sabato (June 24, 1911 – April 30, 2011) was an Argentine novelist, essayist, painter, and physicist. 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".[2] Upon his death El País dubbed him the "last classic writer in Argentine literature".[3]

Sabato was distinguished by his bald pate and brush moustache and wore tinted spectacles and open-necked shirts.[4] He was born in Rojas, a small town in Buenos Aires Province. Sabato began his studies at the Colegio Nacional de La Plata. He then studied physics at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, where he earned a PhD. He then attended the Sorbonne in Paris and worked at the Curie Institute. After World War II, he lost interest in science and started writing.

Sabato's oeuvre includes three novels: El Túnel (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 and Thomas Mann.[1] The second is regarded as his masterpiece, though he nearly burnt it like many of his other works.[2] Sabato's essays cover topics as diverse as metaphysics, politics and tango.[2] His writings led him to receive many international prizes, including the Miguel de Cervantes Prize (Spain), the Legion of Honour (France), the Jerusalem Prize (Israel), and the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (France).[1]

At the request of President Raúl Alfonsín, he presided over the CONADEP Commission that investigated the fate of those who suffered forced disappearance during the Dirty War of the 1970s. The result of these findings was published in 1984, bearing the title Nunca Más (Never Again).

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference CP Google: Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato, who led probe of dirty war crimes, dies at 99 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c "Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato dies, age 99". BBC News. BBC. April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  3. ^ "On the death of Ernesto Sabato: World reactions". Buenos Aires Herald. April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Reuters: Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato dies at age 99 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).