Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato dies at age 99
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Comments (0)
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Sony's No.2 Hirai to brief media Sunday on data theft
8:10am EDT
Buffett downplays chance of Berkshire dividend
11:38am EDT
Republican Romney blames Obama for gasoline prices
29 Apr 2011
Royal couple delay honeymoon after lavish wedding
|
11:15am EDT
Prince William to return to work before honeymoon
10:11am EDT
Discussed
98
White House releases longer Obama birth certificate
77
Donald Trump calls U.S. leaders ”stupid”
46
Woman mauled to death by pit bulls in New Mexico
Watched
Kate's wedding party evening gown
Fri, Apr 29 2011
Tornado clean-up could cost billions
3:39am EDT
Fire ants form rafts to defy floods
Tue, Apr 26 2011
Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato dies at age 99
Tweet
Share this
By Karina Grazina
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato, whose novel "The Tunnel" is hailed as an existentialist classic and who presided over a probe into the crimes committed by the nation's military rulers, died on Saturday at...
Email
Print
Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato attends a ceremony in Buenos Aires in this October 8, 1997 file photo.
Credit: Reuters/Rickey Rogers/File
Related News
U.N. rights body condemns Syria, orders probe
Fri, Apr 29 2011
NATO strikes in Misrata but shelling resumes
Wed, Apr 27 2011
Taliban free hundreds in brazen Afghan jailbreak
Mon, Apr 25 2011
Syria sends tanks into Deraa where uprising began
Mon, Apr 25 2011
Twelve killed in pro-democracy protests in Syria
Sat, Apr 23 2011
Analysis & Opinion
Relegation in Argentina – is the system fair?
Out of office … forever
Related Topics
Entertainment »
Fashion »
People »
By Karina Grazina
BUENOS AIRES |
Sat Apr 30, 2011 11:28am EDT
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato, whose novel "The Tunnel" is hailed as an existentialist classic and who presided over a probe into the crimes committed by the nation's military rulers, died on Saturday at age 99.
"Humankind cannot live without heroes, martyrs and saints," Sabato, an intellectual known as a tireless activist for justice and human rights, once said.
His death was reported by local media.
Sabato, who trained as a physicist before becoming a writer, had three novels to his name -- "The Tunnel" published in 1948, "On Heroes and Graves" published in 1961 and "Abaddon, The Exterminator" in 1974.
Known for his bald pate, tinted glasses, brush mustache and open-necked shirts, he was viewed as a hero by many in his South American homeland.
After the end of Argentina's notorious 1976-83 military rule, Sabato was chosen to preside over the National Commission on the Disappeared (CONADEP), which investigated the fate of tens of thousands of Argentines who disappeared at the hands of the military -- kidnapped, tortured and killed.
The commission compiled 50,000 pages of chilling evidence of systematic kidnap, torture and rape waged against anyone even remotely suspected of sympathizing with leftist guerrillas.
Its findings and recommendations that the "Dirty War" soldiers should be tried and punished were published in 1984 in a book called "Nunca Mas" ("Never Again").
Sabato seemed ill at ease in the limelight even as he was idolized by many young people and students in Argentina. Lionized by the political left, Sabato nevertheless rejected any party affiliation.
"I don't belong to any party, I just support anything I think is good for this sickly country and denounce anything I find false, despicable, dirty, corrupt and hypocritical," he said.
He railed against the tendency to seek technological solutions to human suffering, a painful admission for a man who studied science in Argentina, France and the United States.
He embraced surrealism and abandoned science for writing. His first novel, "The Tunnel," was hailed after its release in 1948 as an existentialist classic and won him fans including Thomas Mann and Albert Camus.
(Writing by Stephen Brown; Editing by Will Dunham)
Entertainment
Fashion
People
Tweet this
Share this
Link this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters.
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Social Stream (What's this?)
© Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Reader Feedback
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Analyst Research
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
FindLaw
Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service
Reuters on Facebook
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Saturday, 30 April 2011 German police arrest three al Qaeda suspects
|
Mexico extradites once-powerful drug lord to U.S.
|
Bombing dents Morocco's image as a tourist haven
|
Peru election race tightens to tie
|
Microsoft stock in biggest one-day fall since 2009
|
Inside Job director to shoot WikiLeaks film
|
UK police make 55 arrests around royal wedding
|
William to wear army uniform for royal wedding
|
Libya's Gaddafi calls for negotiation with NATO
|
Syrian forces kill 62, U.S. tightens sanctions
|
Afghan Taliban declare start to spring offensive
|
Morocco counts cost of bombing at tourist hotspot
|
Mexico extradites once-powerful drug lord to U.S.
|
Pro-Ai graffiti in Hong Kong sparks warning by Chinese army
|
FTC prepping Google probe: report
|
ITC judge rules for Apple in fight with Elan
|
Delay sought in trial of Michael Jackson's doctor
|
Mike Tyson tattoo artist sues to block Hangover
|
Satirical Mormon musical leads Drama Desk noms
|
Yemen power transition deal faces last-minute snag
|
Germany says al Qaeda suspects planned bomb attack
|
Bombs kill two rangers in Thailand's restive south
|
Uganda's Museveni vows to defeat protests
|
Egypt Muslim group contests half parliament seats
|
Pilgrims flock to Rome for John Paul beatification
|
Sony's No.2 Hirai to brief media Sunday on data theft
|
Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato dies at age 99
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights