If I can avoid it I do not usually talk
about the people I love deeply or about my pains in my country that take my
breath away. Many are going to talk about literature and I want to talk about
Coherence, Courage and Humility. I want to talk to you about Ernesto Sabato.
They know how to grow up in Caseros implied
that the figure of Ernesto Sabato was very close for my friends and for me. Don
Ernesto lived in Santos Lugares and both his work and his life illuminated our
adolescence.
It is easy to criticize Sabato without having
met him. Sabato and Borges are easy to criticize because their greatness
surpasses us and envy in Argentina is Mucha.
I want to thank Ernesto Sábato for
everything he did for my generation. Today, he would have turned 108 years old.
One could speak to him and He would answer
you, you wrote to him and He wrote to you. Don Ernesto wrote disturbing books
and after seventy years of age he painted impressive paintings.
No, like I said, it's not from your books
that I want to talk about. It was always Sábato containing the Youth in
situations of extreme violence in our country where young people needed someone
to stake their lives for us. The young Argentines had to be protected, loved,
educated and Sábato was there when we needed it the most. Thanks for a
thousand, Maestro.
Ernesto Sábato tried to live as he wanted with a
strength and a human commitment rarely seen. We teenagers greatly appreciated
it. Yes, boys, I once was young and needed advice.
Sábato, his life and his work, were oxygen
in the neoliberal nightmare that my country was swallowing. A neoliberal Nazi
told me that: he did not like Sábato's books. I told him that I was not
surprised by his literary bad taste. Neoliberal Nazis have no morals. How are
you going to like literature?
With Sábato, We will always have the
Resistance. The struggle for Human Rights will always unite us. Thank you for
all you did for Humanity, Dear Master.
Lía Olga Herrera Soto
