One of the greatest works of literature ever written. Absolutely engrossing and memorable and terrifying. How wonderful that Sabato himself wrote to you! I so enjoyed your video! 👏
I totally agree: El túnel is an absolute masterpiece, and so much more complex than it seems! I treasure that letter I got from Sabato. I wish I had had the chance to meet him in person, but by the time I read him, I didn't live in Argentina anymore. Thank you so much for watching and commenting, my friend! 😃 Have an amazing day!
Let me say that I just adore Sabato, having read not only his three novels but his essays as well. In fact, the essays not only reveal his deeply humanistic education and culture, but their content is a "must" for all booklovers considering the vast references to literary and philosophical works. Well done Jorge, once again!
Ευχαριστώ πολύ, George! 😃 So happy to hear you're a Sabato fan too. His essays are excellent, aren't they? They really go hand in hand with his fiction. It's such a shame they're not available in English. My favorite collection of essays by him is El escritor y sus fantasmas, because it is the most "literary." Thanks again, and have a great day, my friend!
"Noir," yes, but also in its latest translation, EL TUNEL is for a good part of the novel an hilarious presentation of an artist with a mania-- of which we all have seen many in our lifetimes. Jorge, which surprises me, somehow misses the great ironic humor / satire that Ernesto Sabato presents about "artists" in every society. Yes, it turns dark, true, but this novel is indeed great, and multi-dimensional.
You are absolutely right, Michael! 😃 Satire represents a dimension of Sabato's work that deserves more attention, and there are examples of it in all of his novels. I wish I had spoken about it in depth. Maybe when I reread the others. Thank you so much for watching and for your excellent comments, my friend! Have an amazing day!
Thanks for this, Jorge! All of this context is so helpful. I've had a copy of his On Heroes and Tombs on my TBR for a while, and I actually just picked up a copy of his The Tunnel as I thought that that might be an easier place to start. I think I'll start this one sometime in the new couple of weeks -- you've really whet my appetite! Interesting that On Heroes and Tombs bears resemblance to Faulkner...
Thank you so much, Sean! I think you'll love On Heroes and Tombs. 😃 But yes, reading The Tunnel first will definitely enhance your experience of Sabato's other novels. The influences are great. There's much of Camus in The Tunnel; much of Faulkner in On Heroes and Tombs (with a delirious surrealist text inserted in the middle); much of the book of Revelation and something of Gide in The Angel of Darkness. Oh, and something I forgot to mention: in the context of Argentine literature, he's a direct descendant of Roberto Arlt. Thanks again, my friend. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Sabato!
@@JorgesCorner Just reporting back: EXCELLENT novella. I really enjoyed this one and now I'm very eager to read On Heroes and Tombs. Thanks again for the recommendation and encouragement!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! On Heroes and Tombs is much deeper, and you'll notice all the connections. That third section, the "Report on the Blind"... wow. 😄 I get the feeling you'll want to keep going, with The Angel of Darkness, after On Heroes and Tombs. I have a crazy amount of grading to do (you know how it is... "April is the cruellest month"...), but as soon as I'm done, I'm watching your latest video, my friend. Have a wonderful day!
@@JorgesCorner I may just order a copy of The Angel of Darkness to prepare then! I know that feeling all too well -- I'm in the thick of grading as well 😫...good luck!
Awesome analysis, Jorge. That bit from Sabato's essay was new to me and very enlightening. When I first read "El Tunel" I thought that Castel reminded me so much of an old friend of mine, a painter, extremely introverted. I'm getting the same sensation while reading Fernando Pessoa's "Book of Disquiet" although there aren't too many similarities besides what you call that "obsessive self analysis". That twisted game that Castel makes you play is expanded and viewed from a third person perspective in Sobre Heroes y Tumbas, and I love that there are references in there and Abbadon El Exterminador back to the books that precede it. In many ways, the three books develop and expand on the same obsessions and themes and in a way form a kind of trilogy of obsession. Another thing I find fascinating is how Sabato decided to reject physics and turn to art. In fact, I came across one of his books on physics while living in Perú, I assume written before he became a fictional author or painter. This turning away from science toward art, a theme discussed in "Abaddon", and his dignified political activism make him seem such a complete person. That's amazing that you have a letter from him! It makes me feel sad that he has passed as I would have loved to reach out to him to let him know the impact his books had on me. Just an aside, one of these days I'll have to check out your videos on Julio Cortazar because as much as I love Sabato and Borges, when I tried "Rayuela" years ago I practically threw it across the room because it annoyed me so much. I'm not sure if I'd view it differently now, 10 years later, but it was interesting that I had such an uncharacteristically negative reaction to a book. Ironically, it has kept me curious about it 😂
¡Brillante reflexión, Mike! 😃 A trilogy of obsession, absolutely. I'm paraphrasing here, of course, but Sabato might have said, "If you're not obsessed about it, don't write about it." He developed a handful of themes (alienation, the loss of ideals, blindness [he and Saramago were close friends], art over science, etc.), but did it consistently and in depth. I haven't found the time to explore Pessoa yet, but I have a copy of The Book of Disquiet close at hand. His rejection of science was a turning point, even a type of crisis, as you know. And he was so critical of his writing. He says somewhere if it hadn't been for his wife he would have destroyed all of his manuscripts. So we really must thank Matilde for that! I wish I'd had the chance to meet him in person. You're definitely not alone when it comes to Rayuela. 😄 I guess it's one of those love-or-hate-it books. To be honest, I did not enjoy Cortázar's novels half as much as I enjoyed his short stories. (That doesn't mean anything; I still enjoyed them twice as much as I did other major works of literature by other authors.) Thank you so much for sharing your impressions, my friend. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Sobre héroes y tumbas!
Muchas gracias por subir este video. Ya tengo ganas de ver "Nueve Reinas" y leer "El túnel." No leido ninguna novela Argentina en toda mi vida. Yo solo he visto dos peliculas Argentinas: "Bolivia" y un "Oso Rojo." Ambos me gustaron mucho.
¡Mil gracias a vos, Alexis! 😃 Buenísimas películas las que mencionás. Te recomiendo Hombre mirando al sudeste si no la has visto. ¡Que disfrutes de El túnel! La invención de Morel, de Bioy Casares, vale la pena también. Después contame qué te pareció el libro. ¡Muchos saludos!
Hola Jorge! Leí el túnel hace muchos años, de hecho como una recomendación del profesor de un curso de escritura al que asistí 🙂 Me atrapó completamente, es absolutamente obsesivo. Y esta esa sensación, como lector, de que de alguna manera te sientes cómplice por estar leyéndolo y por lo tanto culpable… pero al mismo tiempo no puedes dejar de leer… no recuerdo detalles, solo la sensación que me dejó, pero creo que eso es lo más importante!! Lo releeré en algún momento. Tengo pendientes sus otras obras. Te envío un abrazo 🤗
¡Concuerdo con tu experiencia de lectura, Katia! 😃 Realmente podemos decir muchas cosas sobre Juan Pablo Castel, pero de lo que no queda duda es que el tipo sabe captar nuestra atención y obligarnos a leer. El texto es un tour de force, así que es totalmente acertado el explorarlo desde una perspectiva de escritor. A mí tampoco me quedaron en la mente los detalles; tuve que releer la obra. El énfasis está en el tono, la atmósfera, el "mood", como se dice en inglés... Sin sonar pedante, esa palabra intraducible que usan los alemanes, "Stimmung", es perfecta en este caso. ¡Te recomiendo Sobre héroes y tumbas! Es su novela más lograda, una experiencia inolvidable. Mil gracias por ver el video y compartir tus ideas. ¡Abrazo grande! 🤗
@@JorgesCorner Forget enjoying it, I'm just happy I understood it! And thanks for your videos on spanish language lit which have been a good source of motivation and inspiration for me.
That's exactly how I felt when I began to read in other languages! 😃 Thank you so much for watching and commenting. I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying the videos. Many more coming up on literature in Spanish!
Hola Jorge, muchísimas gracias por el video. ¿Que novelas recomiendas de escritores argentinos por gente como yo a quien les gusta novelas con contenido social?
¡Mil gracias, Memet! 😃 En nuestra literatura, prácticamente el que inauguró la temática social fue Roberto Arlt. Su obra maestra, en mi opinión, es Los siete locos, que continúa en Los lanzallamas, pero El juguete rabioso es muy buena también. (También me gusta El amor brujo, pero es otra cosa.) Sabato y luego David Viñas son descendientes de Arlt. Y por supuesto Piglia retomó muchos elementos de Arlt, sobre todo en algunos de sus cuentos y en novelas como Plata quemada. También hay comentario social en algunas novelas de Mempo Giardinelli. Estos me vienen a la mente en el momento, pero hay muchos más. Nuestro cine con comentario social es muy bueno también. Películas como Esta tierra es mía (Hugo del Carril, 1961), La Patagonia rebelde (Héctor Olivera, 1974), Quebracho (Ricardo Wullicher, 1974), y por supuesto, también fue muy importante el documental La hora de los hornos (Getino & Solanas, 1968). ¡Gracias nuevamente, amigo, y muchos saludos!
One of the greatest works of literature ever written. Absolutely engrossing and memorable and terrifying. How wonderful that Sabato himself wrote to you! I so enjoyed your video! 👏
I totally agree: El túnel is an absolute masterpiece, and so much more complex than it seems! I treasure that letter I got from Sabato. I wish I had had the chance to meet him in person, but by the time I read him, I didn't live in Argentina anymore. Thank you so much for watching and commenting, my friend! 😃 Have an amazing day!
Let me say that I just adore Sabato, having read not only his three novels but his essays as well. In fact, the essays not only reveal his deeply humanistic education and culture, but their content is a "must" for all booklovers considering the vast references to literary and philosophical works. Well done Jorge, once again!
Ευχαριστώ πολύ, George! 😃 So happy to hear you're a Sabato fan too. His essays are excellent, aren't they? They really go hand in hand with his fiction. It's such a shame they're not available in English. My favorite collection of essays by him is El escritor y sus fantasmas, because it is the most "literary." Thanks again, and have a great day, my friend!
"Noir," yes, but also in its latest translation, EL TUNEL is for a good part of the novel an hilarious presentation of an artist with a mania-- of which we all have seen many in our lifetimes. Jorge, which surprises me, somehow misses the great ironic humor / satire that Ernesto Sabato presents about "artists" in every society. Yes, it turns dark, true, but this novel is indeed great, and multi-dimensional.
You are absolutely right, Michael! 😃 Satire represents a dimension of Sabato's work that deserves more attention, and there are examples of it in all of his novels. I wish I had spoken about it in depth. Maybe when I reread the others. Thank you so much for watching and for your excellent comments, my friend! Have an amazing day!
@@JorgesCorner Many thanks, Sr. Jorge. Ib look forward to more of your erudite and enlightening talks.
Thanks for this, Jorge! All of this context is so helpful. I've had a copy of his On Heroes and Tombs on my TBR for a while, and I actually just picked up a copy of his The Tunnel as I thought that that might be an easier place to start. I think I'll start this one sometime in the new couple of weeks -- you've really whet my appetite! Interesting that On Heroes and Tombs bears resemblance to Faulkner...
Thank you so much, Sean! I think you'll love On Heroes and Tombs. 😃 But yes, reading The Tunnel first will definitely enhance your experience of Sabato's other novels. The influences are great. There's much of Camus in The Tunnel; much of Faulkner in On Heroes and Tombs (with a delirious surrealist text inserted in the middle); much of the book of Revelation and something of Gide in The Angel of Darkness. Oh, and something I forgot to mention: in the context of Argentine literature, he's a direct descendant of Roberto Arlt. Thanks again, my friend. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Sabato!
@@JorgesCorner Just reporting back: EXCELLENT novella. I really enjoyed this one and now I'm very eager to read On Heroes and Tombs. Thanks again for the recommendation and encouragement!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! On Heroes and Tombs is much deeper, and you'll notice all the connections. That third section, the "Report on the Blind"... wow. 😄 I get the feeling you'll want to keep going, with The Angel of Darkness, after On Heroes and Tombs. I have a crazy amount of grading to do (you know how it is... "April is the cruellest month"...), but as soon as I'm done, I'm watching your latest video, my friend. Have a wonderful day!
@@JorgesCorner I may just order a copy of The Angel of Darkness to prepare then! I know that feeling all too well -- I'm in the thick of grading as well 😫...good luck!
Awesome analysis, Jorge. That bit from Sabato's essay was new to me and very enlightening. When I first read "El Tunel" I thought that Castel reminded me so much of an old friend of mine, a painter, extremely introverted. I'm getting the same sensation while reading Fernando Pessoa's "Book of Disquiet" although there aren't too many similarities besides what you call that "obsessive self analysis". That twisted game that Castel makes you play is expanded and viewed from a third person perspective in Sobre Heroes y Tumbas, and I love that there are references in there and Abbadon El Exterminador back to the books that precede it. In many ways, the three books develop and expand on the same obsessions and themes and in a way form a kind of trilogy of obsession.
Another thing I find fascinating is how Sabato decided to reject physics and turn to art. In fact, I came across one of his books on physics while living in Perú, I assume written before he became a fictional author or painter. This turning away from science toward art, a theme discussed in "Abaddon", and his dignified political activism make him seem such a complete person. That's amazing that you have a letter from him! It makes me feel sad that he has passed as I would have loved to reach out to him to let him know the impact his books had on me.
Just an aside, one of these days I'll have to check out your videos on Julio Cortazar because as much as I love Sabato and Borges, when I tried "Rayuela" years ago I practically threw it across the room because it annoyed me so much. I'm not sure if I'd view it differently now, 10 years later, but it was interesting that I had such an uncharacteristically negative reaction to a book. Ironically, it has kept me curious about it 😂
¡Brillante reflexión, Mike! 😃 A trilogy of obsession, absolutely. I'm paraphrasing here, of course, but Sabato might have said, "If you're not obsessed about it, don't write about it." He developed a handful of themes (alienation, the loss of ideals, blindness [he and Saramago were close friends], art over science, etc.), but did it consistently and in depth. I haven't found the time to explore Pessoa yet, but I have a copy of The Book of Disquiet close at hand.
His rejection of science was a turning point, even a type of crisis, as you know. And he was so critical of his writing. He says somewhere if it hadn't been for his wife he would have destroyed all of his manuscripts. So we really must thank Matilde for that! I wish I'd had the chance to meet him in person.
You're definitely not alone when it comes to Rayuela. 😄 I guess it's one of those love-or-hate-it books. To be honest, I did not enjoy Cortázar's novels half as much as I enjoyed his short stories. (That doesn't mean anything; I still enjoyed them twice as much as I did other major works of literature by other authors.) Thank you so much for sharing your impressions, my friend. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Sobre héroes y tumbas!
Muchas gracias por subir este video. Ya tengo ganas de ver "Nueve Reinas" y leer "El túnel." No leido ninguna novela Argentina en toda mi vida. Yo solo he visto dos peliculas Argentinas: "Bolivia" y un "Oso Rojo." Ambos me gustaron mucho.
¡Mil gracias a vos, Alexis! 😃 Buenísimas películas las que mencionás. Te recomiendo Hombre mirando al sudeste si no la has visto. ¡Que disfrutes de El túnel! La invención de Morel, de Bioy Casares, vale la pena también. Después contame qué te pareció el libro. ¡Muchos saludos!
Hola Jorge! Leí el túnel hace muchos años, de hecho como una recomendación del profesor de un curso de escritura al que asistí 🙂 Me atrapó completamente, es absolutamente obsesivo. Y esta esa sensación, como lector, de que de alguna manera te sientes cómplice por estar leyéndolo y por lo tanto culpable… pero al mismo tiempo no puedes dejar de leer… no recuerdo detalles, solo la sensación que me dejó, pero creo que eso es lo más importante!! Lo releeré en algún momento. Tengo pendientes sus otras obras. Te envío un abrazo 🤗
¡Concuerdo con tu experiencia de lectura, Katia! 😃 Realmente podemos decir muchas cosas sobre Juan Pablo Castel, pero de lo que no queda duda es que el tipo sabe captar nuestra atención y obligarnos a leer. El texto es un tour de force, así que es totalmente acertado el explorarlo desde una perspectiva de escritor. A mí tampoco me quedaron en la mente los detalles; tuve que releer la obra. El énfasis está en el tono, la atmósfera, el "mood", como se dice en inglés... Sin sonar pedante, esa palabra intraducible que usan los alemanes, "Stimmung", es perfecta en este caso. ¡Te recomiendo Sobre héroes y tumbas! Es su novela más lograda, una experiencia inolvidable. Mil gracias por ver el video y compartir tus ideas. ¡Abrazo grande! 🤗
I just finished this today, the first novel(la) aside from Harry Potter that I've read in Spanish!
That is fantastic, my friend! 😃 I hope you enjoyed it!
@@JorgesCorner Forget enjoying it, I'm just happy I understood it! And thanks for your videos on spanish language lit which have been a good source of motivation and inspiration for me.
That's exactly how I felt when I began to read in other languages! 😃 Thank you so much for watching and commenting. I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying the videos. Many more coming up on literature in Spanish!
Hola Jorge, muchísimas gracias por el video. ¿Que novelas recomiendas de escritores argentinos por gente como yo a quien les gusta novelas con contenido social?
¡Mil gracias, Memet! 😃 En nuestra literatura, prácticamente el que inauguró la temática social fue Roberto Arlt. Su obra maestra, en mi opinión, es Los siete locos, que continúa en Los lanzallamas, pero El juguete rabioso es muy buena también. (También me gusta El amor brujo, pero es otra cosa.) Sabato y luego David Viñas son descendientes de Arlt. Y por supuesto Piglia retomó muchos elementos de Arlt, sobre todo en algunos de sus cuentos y en novelas como Plata quemada. También hay comentario social en algunas novelas de Mempo Giardinelli. Estos me vienen a la mente en el momento, pero hay muchos más. Nuestro cine con comentario social es muy bueno también. Películas como Esta tierra es mía (Hugo del Carril, 1961), La Patagonia rebelde (Héctor Olivera, 1974), Quebracho (Ricardo Wullicher, 1974), y por supuesto, también fue muy importante el documental La hora de los hornos (Getino & Solanas, 1968). ¡Gracias nuevamente, amigo, y muchos saludos!
@@JorgesCorner te agradezco mucho!
great video
Thank you so much, my friend! 😃 I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it. Have a fantastic day, and happy reading!