The Tunnel [Paperback]

One of the great short novels of the twentieth century—in an edition marking the 100th anniversary of the author's birth.

An unforgettable psychological novel of obsessive love,The Tunnelwas championed by Albert Camus, Thomas Mann, and Graham Greene upon its publication in 1948 and went on to become an international bestseller. At its center is an artist named Juan Pablo Castel, who recounts from his prison cell his murder of a woman named María Iribarne. Obsessed from the moment he sees her examining one of his paintings, Castel fantasizes for months about how they might meet again. When he happens upon her one day, a relationship develops that convinces him of their mutual love. But Castel's growing paranoia leads him to destroy the one thing he truly cares about.

For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Colm Tóibínwas born in Ireland and lives in Dublin. He is one of Ireland's best known journalists. He is the author ofThe South, winner of the Irish Times/Aer Lingus Prize. In 1995, he was awarded the Academy of Arts and Letters E. M. Forster Prize. He is also the author ofThe Heather BlazingandThe Story of the Night.

INTRODUCTION
Soon after the end of World War II, a lonely, misunderstood artist in Buenos Aires exhibits a painting that includes a tiny window through which a lone female figure can be observed looking at the sea. The vignette, which seems to the painter to be laden with meaning, escapes the attention of every l³Q