Ernesto Sabato

Ernesto Sabato (Spanish: [ˈsaβaðo]; 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". Upon his death El País dubbed him the "last classic writer in Argentine literature".

Sabato was known for his bald pate head and brush-style moustache, and was often seen wearing tinted glasses and open-necked shirts. 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. 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, politics and tango. 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).

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).

Notable works: El Túnel, On Heroes and Tombs, Abaddón el exterminador Awards: Knight of the Legion of Honour, honorary doctorate of the University of Murcia, Menéndez Pelayo International Prize, Miguel de Cervantes Prize, Gold Medal of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, Gran Premio de Honor de la SADE Education: National University of La Plata, Harvard University, Rafael Hernández National College

Source: Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Sabato