The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis (Paperback, New Ed)

An introduction by the translator Pontiero will help readers to approach this somewhat daunting major novel by 1998's winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Saramago himself suggested that his ambitious philosophical and political novel might be fully appreciated only by someone who is Portuguese. Ricardo Reis was one of the pseudonyms used by the poet Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), who believed that everybody possesses multiple personalities. A compelling alliance of wit and serious intention, the novel, which is set in the lively and colourful port of Lisbon in 1936, moves between philosophical abstraction and knockabout humour. This is a demanding but ultimately rewarding read exploring a rich pattern of interwoven themes at all levels of society. (Kirkus UK)

It is 1936, Salazar is in power in Portugal and Ricardo Reis is back in Lisbon again after 16 years as a doctor in Brazil. He checks into a waterfront hotel and begins to renew his acquaintance with the city, occasionally thinking vaguely of practising medicine again but more often amusing himself with poetic and philosophical musings. Ricardo Reis spends his time in the company of the poet Fernando Pessoa – who still wears the suit in which he was buried a few weeks earlier. Reis’ other companions are Marcenda, the girl with the paralysed hand, and his hotel chambermaid, who shares his bed. In Ricardo Reis, Saramago has created one of the most enigmatic characters in modern fiction, a man in touch with every facet of life at a moment in history when every certainty in civilised society is about to be scattered to the wind.

General

Imprint:	The Harvill Press
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	September 1998
Authors:	Jose Saramago
Dimensions:	198 x 129 x 24mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	358
Edition:	New Ed
ISBN-13:	978-1-86046-502-4
Languages:	English
Subtitles:	Portuguese
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General & literary fiction > Modern fiction Promotions
LSN:	1-86046-502-1
Barcode:	9781860465024

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