On Heroes and Tombs

Nineteen-year-old Martín Castillo is a boy from Buenos Aires trying to find his path in life. He meets and falls in love with Alejandra Vidal Olmos, who with her father Fernando represents the "old", post-colonial and autochthonous Argentina, which is seen mutating amid a strange and unsettling "new" world. The novel gives an evocative portrait of the city of Buenos Aires and its people. ==Characters==

Primary characters in the novel include: • Martín del Castillo: the novel's protagonist • Alejandra Vidal Olmos: Martín's love interest • Fernando Vidal Olmos: Alejandra's father • Bruno Bassan: a writer who provides Martín insights • Uncle Bebe: Alejandra's uncle • Grandfather Pancho: Alejandra's grandfather • Aunt Escolatica: Alejandra's aunt ==Literary significance and criticism==

"On Heroes and Tombs" is a novel by Argentine writer Ernesto Sábato, known for its intricate narrative and exploration of complex themes such as obsession, identity, and the human condition. The New York Times described Sabato as a writer who "...wants literature that is naked and profound, created with blood, concerned with universal metaphysical themes and the extreme existential situations of solitude and death. Overall, "On Heroes and Tombs" presents a profound inquiry into the mysteries of human life, engaging with its darker aspects while hinting at the potential for understanding and connection. 'Praise for Ernesto Sábato and On Heroes and Tombs''''' “An ambitious, tapestry-type fiction.”―Kirkus “Offers by way of fair exchange a rich motherlode of imagery, language and haunting scenes.”―Salman Rushdie “Dr. Sábato took his place among Latin America’s greatest writers, and he followed a singular literary path that distinguished him from the writers of the Latin American ‘boom’ of the 1960s and 1970s.”―Washington Post “In 1972, the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda listed Mr. Sábato among the Latin American writers who displayed ‘greater vitality and imagination than anything since the great Russian novels’ of the 19th century. On Heroes and Tombs, the story of a young man trying to find his way in life in Buenos Aires, is considered his most important work of fiction. But many people also know Mr. Sábato for his work in helping Argentina heal when democracy was restored in 1983 after seven years of military dictatorship.”―New York Times ==References to actual history, geography and current science==

Interspersed with the text of On Heroes and Tombs, as an almost surrealistic running commentary on it, is the italicised narrative of the flight, killing and ensuing odyssey of Juan Lavalle, a classic Argentine subject. ==Adaptions==

John Malkovich has optioned the film rights for On Heroes and Tombs. Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates' album At War with Reality has lyrics based on the novel. Its intro is a quote from this book. == References ==