The Tunnel
The Tunnel by Ernesto Sabato, published by Penguin Books Limited on April 28, 2011, is a compelling exploration of obsession and isolation. This edition, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden, presents the confession of Juan Pablo Castel, an artist imprisoned for the murder of Maria Iribarne, the only woman who seemed to understand him. Castel recounts his intense fixation on Maria, detailing their relationship and the paranoia that ultimately drives him to commit an irreversible act.
Readers will find a narrative steeped in themes of crime and existential inquiry, as Castel’s reflections reveal the darker aspects of love and obsession. The book delves into the complexities of human emotions and the consequences of a tormented psyche. With its concise 138 pages, this literary work invites contemplation on the nature of understanding and the fragility of human connections, making it a significant addition to the realms of fiction and noir.
Official synopsis Publisher
Framed as the confession of a tormented outcast who has murdered the only woman capable of understanding him, Ernesto Sabato’s The Tunnel has been acclaimed as a masterpiece by writers such as Albert Camus and Graham Greene. This Penguin Classics edition is translated by Margaret Sayers Peden with an introduction by Colm Tóibín.
Infamous for the murder of Maria Iribarne, the artist Juan Pablo Castel is now writing a detailed account of his relationship with the victim from his prison cell: obsessed from the first moment he saw her examining one of his paintings, Castel had become fixated on her over the next months and fantasized over how they might meet again. When he happened upon her one day, a relationship was formed which swiftly convinced him of their mutual love. But Castel’s growing paranoia would lead him to destroy the one thing he truly cared about…
Ernesto Sabato (1911-2011) was born in Rojas, a small town in Buenos Aires Province. He read physics at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, attended the Sorbonne in Paris, and worked at the Curie Institute. After World War II, he lost faith in science and began writing fiction.
If you enjoyed The Tunnel, you might like Albert Camus’ The Outsider, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.
‘Sabato captures the intensity of passions run into uncharted passages where love promises not tranquillity, but danger’
Los Angeles Times
‘An existentialist classic … Retains a chilling, memorable power’
The New York Times Book Review
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