Lasarte General Store. De la Canal, Tandil District, Buenos Aires Province.

Vintage analog print on fiber-based paper. Dimensions: Photograph, 18.58 x 28.4 cm; secondary support, 23.52 x 30.3 cm. Copy number 1/10.

The silence, the pause, and the impending conversation with the proprietor allude to the everyday rituals that lend a sense of permanence to these places—the *pulperías* (traditional rural taverns), street-corner shops, and general stores found deep within the interior of Buenos Aires province—which serve as true cathedrals of friendship.

The photographer, Eduardo Longoni, has produced various series; here, we present his exploration of the *pulperías* in the province of Buenos Aires. Back in 1991, he began a photographic project that culminated in a book—published by Seix Barral-Planeta in 1994—featuring Ernesto Sábato, one of the most highly regarded Argentine writers of the twentieth century and author of works such as *The Tunnel* (1948) and *On Heroes and Tombs* (1961). Following the return of democracy in 1983, Sábato undertook a public commitment of immense significance: he presided over the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (CONADEP) and contributed to the drafting of the book *Nunca Más* ("Never Again"), a study documenting the human rights violations perpetrated by the State during the final military dictatorship.