When the Iberian Peninsula breaks free of Europe and begins to drift across the North Atlantic, five people are drawn together on the newly formed island-first by surreal events and then by love. “A splendidly imagined epic voyage...a fabulous fable” (Kirkus Reviews). Translated by Giovanni Pontiero.
José Saramago was born in Portugal in 1922. He is the author of six novels, including Baltasar and Blimunda and The History of the Siege of Lisbon, Blindness, and All The Names. His backlist is available in Harvest editions.
Publishers Weekly
In this charming Portuguese political fable by the author of The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, pandemonium occurs when the Iberian peninsula breaks loose (literally) and goes charging off into the North Atlantic. Bureaucrats fret because the errant land mass is speeding straight toward the Azores; the Government of National Salvation plots to avoid impending disaster, but the former peninsula has its own agenda. Meanwhile, five Iberian residents separately experience assorted phenomena they believe are connected to the rupture. (One makes an ineradicable line in the earth, another becomes a human seismograph, another unravels a neverending sock, etc.) Through a series of coincidences and the efforts of a mute and nameless dog, the five find each other and begin a gypsy-like peregrination to make sense of the peninsula's fractious behavior. At times an unexpected darkness intrudes on these proceedingsSaramago heckles his characters occasionally for no discernible reasonand the conclusion seems abrupt, its somber notes ringing false. However, the political reaction to this geological mishap is marvelously amusing-and greatly enhanced by the author's nimble prose and random metaphysical touches.
Categories:
- Romance
- Historical
- 20th Century
- Historical
Publisher : HarperVia
Author : Saramago, José
Language : English
Edition : First Edition
Published :1996-06-14
Number Of Pages : 300
Binding : Paperback
ISBN-10 : 0156004011
ISBN-13 : 9780156004015
Item weight : 0.75 lb
Dimensions : 0.5 in x 5.4 in x 7.9 in
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