Honest gladiator
By Marcos Aguinis FOR THE NATION
Despite getting recognition for his first book (One and the universe), when in 1948 he offered his novel The tunnel was rejected by all publishers in Buenos Aires. Thus, Sabato was included in the list of great writers who are looked at first. He had to resign that he published the short piece in a magazine: South . But South was not a journal either, but founded and directed by Victoria Ocampo. Able to reach her through the recommendation Pedro Henriquez Urena, who had met at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and who always admired without reservation as a teacher and inspiring. Soon The t join it reached the hands of Albert Camus, who lavished enthusiastic and did a review edited by Gallimard. From that moment, Sabato was opened to the road to becoming an iconic writer of the twentieth century.Restless and frankly, went through various ideologies. There would be fossilized for fashion. He said: "The fashions are legitimate minor things such as clothing, by contrast, thought and art, are abominable." When very young, he campaigned without great joy in the movement of university reform. But then reversed its emphasis on communism, was elected general secretary of the Communist Youth Federation in 1933. In a course on Marxism, Matilde Kusminsky met, it would be his wife. Soon he began to suspect abuse of the Soviet regime and the party decided to send for two years to the Lenin School in Moscow, to undergo a re-education. But the effect was negative. "It was a place where one is healed or ended in a gulag or a psychiatric hospital," he said indignantly.
few years later, a doctorate in physics and was awarded a scholarship, with the support of Bernardo Houssay for research in the Curie Laboratory in Paris. Its still unconscious literary vocation brought him closer to the surrealists. In the morning working with electrometers and specimens. But "it was evening in the bars? The Dome and Deux Magots, fortified with those harbingers of chaos and excess, spent hours crafting exquisite corpse."
When he returned to Argentina, overwhelmed by an existential crisis, decided to abandon science and dedicate himself solely to literature and painting. Was isolated with his devoted wife on a ranch without electricity or water, lost in the province of Cordoba. They had two children. Jorge was to be Minister of Education Mario Alfonsin, a leading film director.
His literary career jumped consagratorio to publish the vast novel On Heroes and Tombs . Quickly became a must-read book. Almost all the comments, the exalted, even though some have tried to reduce their merits and were determined to prove he was a collage assembled four novels unconvincingly. A poignant chapter is entitled "Report on blind", which indeed could be read as a single component. Another portion of the book concerns the fate of the corpse General Lavalle. Portions were musicalized by Eduardo Falu with the title of "Romance of the death of Juan Lavalle" epic poem. On Heroes and Tombs was translated into many languages \u200b\u200band all was successful and strong praise. Sabato's career as a novelist was consummated.
However, in 1974 published Ab Addon the destroyer, which afforded him harsh reviews in Argentina. Some felt that their source of inspiration has been exhausted and that this work revealed an effort to build something, even if poor and devoid of magic. However, a few years later, Paris was given the award for best foreign novel in Italy, the Medici Prize. It was obvious that the hostility of the Argentine critics would call quiet.
The narrative field, Sabato only published the three novels. Others were foreshortened, also tried to break into the theater. But he was very demanding and not allowed to appear in works that did not seem well achieved. Its major production viboreó in the essay genre. All pages are excellent, the style is clear, passionate, ironic or tragic, whether by the lucidity of his thoughts. There is expressed an insatiable quest for truth and ultimate meaning of existence.
Although not wishing positions or public office, their vision was too strong to pass up. Hence it had appointed auditor of the magazine Mundo Argentino when establishing the Liberating Revolution and director of the Foreign Cultural Relations during the administration of Frondizi. In either of those positions for long.
His most important public duty took place later, to recover democracy, as President of the Conadep. With a courage that few take-because by then the military were still powerful and could regain power in a vindictive spirit, "Sabato led a small legion of prominent personalities (also full of humanity and courage) to investigate the crimes committed during the dictatorship. They recorded nearly 9000 missing, although the figure could be higher, and 340 places of detention and torture. The product of crushing and serious investigation was held in the work never , which served as a model for other countries and contributed to the fair trial of the military juntas. Was not driven by hatred and the spirit of revenge, but for simple justice.
The body lean and bitter This writer's face reflected the inner torture. He said what he considered right. It was anti-communist, then, was an early and staunch enemy of Peronism, but the first to admit some merit. His comments about books and paintings were always honest and even surprising. This had helped many slanderous and lots of fans. It is true that shared a lunch with General Videla occur shortly after the coup. It is true that praised the assault on the Falklands perpetrated by General Galtieri. But it is also true that expressed a clear rejection of all forms of violence. He toured with intensity every moment of his life and circumstances. He was honest until the end. When he perceived that the mind loosening their world view and things, preferred to shut until the end of its earthly transit. Many do not know whether to admire for his novels or essays, or their statements or behavior. I admire him all at once. © La Nacion
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