<-- Look at what I bought tonight!Those who are familiar with the fact that I love the work of Jose Saramago [my alias of "Cipriano" is borrowed from the main character of his novel The Cave, my actual name being… Fred] will no doubt be able to imagine my intense joy at the discovery that there are yet more works available by this wonderful, inimitable, writer.
Manual of Painting and Calligraphy is his first novel -- and has only now been translated into English and released on the unworthy bookstore shelves. Amid sudden heart palpitations I saw it in a store while I was in Toronto recently, and finally got it tonight. Being the unbelievably tenacious cheapskate that I am, I patiently [or not so patiently] awaited the arrival of a bookstore gift-card in the mail. It had no time at all to burn a hole in my pocket as I made a beeline to the "S" section of the Chapters store tonight!
I can't wait to read the thing. From the synopsis, I gather that it will be somewhat similar to his excellent The History of the Siege of Lisbon -- a sort of intertwined love story set against a background of actual Portuguese history.I continue to mourn the death of Jose Saramago [June 18th, 2010] and will never forget the moment when I first heard the news of his passing. But it is so incredibly fortuitous to discover that there are yet other Saramagian treasures for me to devour. Raised From The Ground is a novel scheduled for release on the very day of my birthday at the end of this year.
And yet another, The Lives of Things, Saramago's sole collection of short stories [be still my heart] was released just weeks ago and has yet to find its way into my paws. But it will. Oh…. it will!And dear friend, if you have yet to discover this Nobel Prize winning master of the craft, I have only two more things to say to you:
Do it.
Read him.
4 comments:
I guess I can finally go ahead and read the other couple of his novels I'd been saving up, now that there are more to get to. I didn't know about all of these.
Dear Fred,
First of all, it feels kindda strange calling you by any other name.
Second, thanks for the heads up on all these other novels and short stories of his, I'll have to find them all and add them to the S section in my library.
C.
Isabella -- YES! You must read your Saramagos!
"C" -- I know you are a fan! Isn't it great to know there is yet more of this guy to read?
yay! I knew about the book but it had slipped my miind when it was due to be published. I expect you are savoring it already. And what good news that there are two other books yet to come, and one of them on your birthday!
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