El Túnel

The Tunnel
1951 edition (publ. Emecé Editores)
AuthorErnesto Sabato
Original titleEl túnel
LanguageSpanish
GenreExistentialism
PublisherEditorial Sur
Publication date
1948
Publication place Argentina
ISBN978-0-14-310653-1
OCLC1077504286

The Tunnel (Spanish: El túnel) is a dark, psychological novel written by Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato about a deranged porteño painter, Juan Pablo Castel, and his obsession with a woman. The story's title refers to the symbol for Castel's emotional and physical isolation from society, which becomes increasingly apparent as Castel proceeds to tell from his jail cell the series of events that enabled him to murder the only person capable of understanding him. Marked by its existential themes, El Túnel received enthusiastic support from Albert Camus and Graham Greene following its publication in 1948.