Ernesto Sábato’s 108th Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates Argentine novelist, painter, and atomic physicist Ernesto Sábato, who devoted himself to literature and became one of Argentina’s most respected authors.

Born in a small town near Buenos Aires on this day in 1911, Sábato studied and obtained a PhD at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, and then earned a scholarship to study cosmic radiation alongside scientists splitting uranium atoms at the Curie Institute in Paris. After continuing his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he returned to Argentina.

During his time in Europe, Sábato’s interactions with surrealists such as Wilfredo Lam and André Bretón stirred philosophical questions in his mind, which eventually led him to steer his focus away from science and instead devote himself to literature.

While teaching at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, he began contributing to the newspaper La Nación, stating political views that led to him losing his teaching post. His 1948 novel El túnel (translated as The Tunnel or The Outsider) was the first to earn him international acclaim.

All three of Sábato's novels have been translated into more than 30 languages. There may have been more, but Sábato had a habit of burning his manuscripts. “It may be because I considered that all my work was imperfect, impure, and I found that fire was purifying,” he once said. He nearly burned his second novel Sobre héroes y tumbas (On Heroes and Tombs) after working on it for many years. His wife convinced him to change his mind, and the work is widely considered one of his masterpieces.

In 1984, Sábato received the prestigious Cervantes Prize in recognition of his literary accomplishments. Aside from award-winning novels, Sábato’s essays on political issues inspired reforms in his homeland, leading some to call Sábato “la voz de la conciencia Argentina," or “the voice of Argentina’s conscience.”

Doodler Up Close

Today’s Doodle was created by Doodler Kevin Laughlin. Below, he shares some thoughts on Ernesto Sábato and the inspiration for his Doodle:

Q: Ernesto Sábato was a master of two disciplines. What part of his story do you find most inspiring personally?

A: I was captivated by Sábato's novel, El túnel—not only by its dark and dreamy atmosphere, but in the way it explores an artist's relationship with his audience; oddly reflective of the Doodle process.

Q: Which aspect of his life and/or work did you focus on for this Doodle?

A: I drew the most inspiration from Sábato's fiction, where more explicit imagery can be adopted for the purposes of illustration.

Q: What medium do you like to use for your illustrations? Did you do anything different on this one from a technical standpoint?

A: Digital paint! One can do remarkable things with it these days. I don't often get the chance to make dark or atmospheric Doodles that suggest a narrative, but this topic was apt for such an execution.

Q: Sabato was known for sometimes burning his manuscripts, one of which was saved by his wife and is widely considered his greatest work. Can you relate to that perfectionist impulse at all?

A: Ah, Ernesto and I are very much alike in this regard... though many of my childhood drawings perished by water, rather than fire. I had a regular habit of condemning my least favorite artworks to be flushed down the toilet. Sometimes I find myself idly wishing I could see those drawings again.

Early concepts