This is an author I discovered when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998.
I had heard his name before but never read him.
Together with a friend I had begun a project aiming at reading all the œuvres by all the Nobel laureates(!), the works by Saramago became one of my main literary readings that year.
I found him interesting as he's dealing with questions about human behaviour, about courage and lack of it, about personal choices implying going your own way or lack of personal choices - also a way of choosing - about those who are able to see through the surface of what seems to be going on in society and seeing beyond and below the superficial.
All this embedded in a poetic, symbolic language and symbolic actions pointing towards a more truthful or honest interpretation of the world and human behaviour.
The books I've read:
Journey to Portugal (Viagem a Portugal)
Baltasar and Blimunda (Memorial do Convento)
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis (O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis)
The Stone Raft (A Jangada de Pedra)
The History of the Siege of Lisbon (História do Cerco de Lisboa)
The Gospel according to Jesus Christ (O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo)
Blindness (Ensaio sobre a Cegueira)
All the Names (Todos os Nomes)
The Tale of the Unknown Island (O Conto da Ilha Desconhecida)
The Cave (A Caverna)
Seeing (Ensaio sobre a Lucidez)
Maybe I've read one or two more but these are the ones I remember right now.
I can recommend reading Saramago and one of his most interesting books is The Blindness where - in short - those who see are blind and those who are blind see clearly.
It's much more complicated and poetically expressed in his book of course but why not read it for yourself.
I had heard his name before but never read him.
Together with a friend I had begun a project aiming at reading all the œuvres by all the Nobel laureates(!), the works by Saramago became one of my main literary readings that year.
I found him interesting as he's dealing with questions about human behaviour, about courage and lack of it, about personal choices implying going your own way or lack of personal choices - also a way of choosing - about those who are able to see through the surface of what seems to be going on in society and seeing beyond and below the superficial.
All this embedded in a poetic, symbolic language and symbolic actions pointing towards a more truthful or honest interpretation of the world and human behaviour.
The books I've read:
Journey to Portugal (Viagem a Portugal)
Baltasar and Blimunda (Memorial do Convento)
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis (O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis)
The Stone Raft (A Jangada de Pedra)
The History of the Siege of Lisbon (História do Cerco de Lisboa)
The Gospel according to Jesus Christ (O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo)
Blindness (Ensaio sobre a Cegueira)
All the Names (Todos os Nomes)
The Tale of the Unknown Island (O Conto da Ilha Desconhecida)
The Cave (A Caverna)
Seeing (Ensaio sobre a Lucidez)
Maybe I've read one or two more but these are the ones I remember right now.
I can recommend reading Saramago and one of his most interesting books is The Blindness where - in short - those who see are blind and those who are blind see clearly.
It's much more complicated and poetically expressed in his book of course but why not read it for yourself.
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