A world-novel that traverses 20th-century Argentina with a lucid and uncompromising gaze. One of Ernesto Sabato’s most ambitious works, a key figure and undisputed voice of his literary generation.
Buenos Aires, January 5, 1973. Bruno, a young writer, watches a man cross the street and immediately recognizes him: it is Ernesto Sabato. He approaches him. Thus begins a conversation between character and author that sets the tone for the rest of the story.
From that moment, the narrative unfolds on multiple levels: memories of the past, fictional interviews, letters, dreamlike sequences, and ghostly presences. Characters from Sabato’s previous novels briefly reappear, as if all his past work converged into this one. In that fragmented universe, overflowing with violence, reality and imagination blur without clear boundaries.
Among these narrative threads stands the story of Marcelo Carranza, a 23-year-old involved in revolutionary militancy, whose life intersects with that of Palito, a companion of humble origins who once fought alongside Che Guevara in Bolivia. As political repression advances and Buenos Aires fills with rumors and blacklists, both remain active in the resistance.
In December 1972, Marcelo is arrested by a paramilitary squad and locked in a clandestine detention center. He is tortured for days, forced to betray his comrades. But he resists. He does not say a word. And he dies from the beatings. His body is never found.
The news shakes the entire group. Days later, Georgina, also close to them, dies suddenly. Meanwhile, the city turns into a nightmare: a blazing dragon appears in the sky, hordes of blind men emerge from the underground, men with flashlights roam the night. The atmosphere grows heavy with apocalyptic omens.
Palito, who has survived, later returns to recount his experiences: Che’s downfall in Bolivia, starvation in the jungle, the heroism of the last fighters, Marcelo’s dignity in dying in silence. Bruno listens, deeply moved, while reflecting on a city where extermination has become reality.
Seeking to escape this suffocating climate, Bruno travels to his hometown, Capitán Olmos, where his father lies dying. There, he reunites with his brothers, relives childhood memories, and accompanies his father’s final days in the family home. When his father dies, Bruno walks to the cemetery and believes he sees a gravestone bearing the name of Ernesto Sabato—as if the author himself had also been dragged into that wave of darkness sweeping everything away.
RELEVANT INFORMATION: Ernesto Sabato was one of the most important writers of the 20th century, acclaimed by both audiences and critics, as well as a painter and Argentine physicist. His works are known for their existentialist perspective and the psychological depth of his characters. He was awarded the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1984, the Jerusalem Prize, and the International Menéndez Pelayo Prize.
The Angel of Darkness is a novel that bears witness to evil, violence, and guilt in 20th-century Argentina. The book has strong audiovisual potential as a psychological and political drama, with multiple narrative layers that allow for a choral, fragmented, and visually powerful approach. The crossover between reality and fiction offers an original proposal that could be translated into an innovative narration, in the vein of series like The Leftovers or films like I’m Thinking of Ending Things.
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Film.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish, Catalan, English, Arabic, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, French, German.
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