Ernesto Sábato is the most important contemporary intellectual figure of Argentina, not only due to his literary oeuvre but also to the prominent and courageous role he has played as the voice of reason against oppressive military regimes. His political importance was confirmed in 1984 when the democratic government of Raúl Alfonsín nominated him to preside over the National Commission of Disappeared Persons, whose report, Nunca más (Never Again, 1984), Sábato wrote. He has achieved international status, lecturing throughout Latin America, Europe, Israel, and at major universities in the United States. He is a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur of France; he has received the Cervantes award and the Gran Cruz al Mérito Civil in Spain, the Jerusalem prize in Israel, the Medici award in Italy, the...