Ernesto Sábato, the friend in the Tunel

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