The Witness, By Juan José Saer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Those who are new to Juan José Saer's prose are in for a treat. This beautifully carved novella by the Argentinian-born writer, who died four years ago, is a mini masterpiece. It traces the journey of a nameless 16th-century cabin boy from Spain to the New World, and at its heart is the darkness of cannibalism: when their ship arrives on an island, the boy's fellow sailors and captain are all killed. Their bodies are taken back to the islanders' camp, skinned and eaten – the start of a ceremony that leads to drunkenness, sexual orgies and eventually, for some of the participants, illness and death. The boy is allowed to leave the island 10 years later, but by then has forgotten his own language and can only communicate in the grunts and gestures of the primitive islanders with whom he has spent so much time.
José Saer draws parallels between the so-called "civilised" world and an ancient, more primitive one, to cast doubt upon the values of Renaissance Europe that we have inherited. It is a spell-binding, provocative and disturbing read.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments