The Tunnel [Mass Market Paperback]

Ernesto Sabato (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 1991

"When it was first published in Spanish, THE TUNNEL won the applause of Thomas Mann and Albert Camus and was described as an existentialist classic," reminded The New York Times Book Review, in its recent review. Indeed, THE TUNNEL is one of the most highly regarded short novels of the twentieth century. Since its first publication in 1948, it has been translated into most of the major languages of the world. In the fresh, compelling, and critically acclaimed translation by Margaret Sayers Peden, it is available for a whole new readership.
"The power of Sabato's story remains . . . . He delivers several satisfying satirical thrusts at the vagaries of the life of the urban intellectual that retain a remarkable contemporary resonance . . . . Sabato captures the intensity of passions run into uncharted passages where love promises not tranquility, but danger."
-- Los Angeles Times Book Review

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"When it was first published in Spanish, THE TUNNEL won the applause of Thomas Mann and Albert Camus and was described as an existentialist classic," reminded The New York Times Book Review, in its recent review. Indeed, THE TUNNEL is one of the most highly regarded short novels of the twentieth century. Since its first publication in 1948, it has been translated into most of the major languages of the world. In the fresh, compelling, and critically acclaimed translation by Margaret Sayers Peden, it is available for a whole new readership.
"The power of Sabato's story remains . . . . He delivers several satisfying satirical thrusts at the vagaries of the life of the urban intellectual that retain a remarkable contemporary resonance . . . . Sabato captures the intensity of passions run into uncharted passages where love promises not tranquility, but danger."
-- Los Angeles Times Book Review

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Bilingual edition (September 13, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345373774
• ISBN-13: 978-0345373779
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisite view inside a mind tortured by obsessive love, October 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Tunnel (Mass Market Paperback)

This amazing short novel (only about 100 pages)provides a view inside the mind of a man who is tortured by obsessive love for a woman who seems to be his mirror image; i.e., another tormented soul inhabiting the existential void. Or she may just be a superficial being who enjoys adding a famous painter to her list of conquests. The "action" takes place almost entirely in the mind of the narrator, Castel. We never really know who the few other characters are or what they are thinking. Sabato's ability to capture Castel's tortured thought processes is stunningly on point and makes for sometimes painful reading -- our 1990's psychology tells us Castel should have it all worked out; but the fact that he cannot escape his obsessions is the essence of his humanity. The bilingual edition makes it convenient to compare the translation with the original.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic !, March 31, 2005

By 

Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tunnel (Mass Market Paperback)

Mind's labyrinth has reached very few times such level of anxiety, desperation, loneliness, introspection and madness as you will experience with this story.

Ernesto Sabato wrote one of his three masterpieces with such eloquence and conviction that you will wonder after having read it why this monumental work is not better known.

This notable writer and thinker, not only paid his personal debt to Poe, but all a gallery of inquisitions, observations and statements about the human nature, will integrate this colossal portrait of Castel and Maria.

E.S.belongs to that dynasty of major Latin American novelists with admirable figures such Borges, Cabrera Infante, Cortazar, Quiroga, Asturias. He has been a man of sharp intelligence, astonishing erudiction and refined culture. I really hope you to read this book and from the first page you will be struggled by an invisible arm that will envolve you in this passionate and extraordinary portrait.

In last instance there was only a dark and lonely tunnel: mine!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece, March 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Tunnel (Mass Market Paperback)

This incredible little book is in fact an existential tour de force. Probably one of the most important short novels of the 20th century. If you speak spanish you can enjoy it in original, which is the only version in print at the moment.