José Saramago

The Notebook


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      Praise for The Notebook

      “The Notebook reveal[s] an often sharp, sometimes mischievous, engagement with the world, whether skewering George W. Bush as a ‘liar emeritus’ or the cruel absurdity of the Gaza blockade … Such shafts of sanity and humour will be missed.” Maya Jaggi, Guardian

      “Saramago enjoys picking up a passing thought or an incident and running with it, confident in his political outrage, calm in his appreciation of friends, considered in his aphoristic criticism of culture.” Iain Finlayson, The Times of London

      “The Notebook is a cogent, stimulating and timely book.” Thomas Wright, Independent on Sunday

      “His range of interests and capacity for indignation [are] remarkable and admirable.” Allan Massie, The Scotsman

      “Cogent, deft and brisk … the deeper you delve a broad, humane political philosophy begins to emerge.” Chris Dolan, Glasgow Sunday Herald

      “The world is poorer without Saramago, but these notes are a testament to his energy; and his homages to the young will now read as a passing on of the torch.” Tom Payne, Daily Telegraph

      “Saramago’s enthusiasm is irresistible and his commendations are acute.” Toby Lichtig, Times Literary Supplement

      “[T]he writing here reflects the wondrous integrity of his previous books . . . The genuine novelist is still vividly present, as he was throughout his life.” Los Angeles Times

      “Provocative miscellany of occasional pieces.” Ángel Gurría-Quintana, Financial Times

      “Beautifully crafted and honest, Saramago’s notebook is elegant in tone and style while clearly conveying a legend’s take on our evolving society.” Publishers Weekly

      “Given that most blogs that make it to print seem to involve someone sharing too much information about their sex lives, there’s something refreshing about Saramago taking the form to a more elevated plain, crafting aperçus on all manner of subjects.” Metro

      “The book presents an intelligent twist on the blogs-turned-books phenomenon, proving that the two mediums are compatible beyond social curios and cultural gimmicks … The Notebook is a unique glimpse into the candid ruminations of one of the most talented living writers.” Flavorwire

      The Portuguese Nobel Laureate José Saramago was a novelist, playwright and journalist. His numerous books, including the bestselling All the Names, Blindness, and The Cave, have been translated into more than forty languages and have established him as one of the world’s most influential writers. He died in June 2010.

      THE NOTEBOOK

      JOSÉ SARAMAGO

       Translated by Amanda Hopkinson and Daniel Hahn

      Funded by the Direcção-Geral do Livro e das Bibliotecas / Portugal.

      English-language edition first published by Verso 2010

      This updated paperback edition published by Verso 2011

      © Verso 2010

      First published as O Caderno © José Saramago & Editorial Caminho, SA, Lisbon 2008–2010 by arrangement with Literarishe Agentur Mertin Inh. Nicole Witt e. K., Frankfurt am Main, Germany

      Translation © Amanda Hopkinson and Daniel Hahn 2010

      Foreword translation © Shaun Whiteside

      All rights reserved

      The moral rights of the author have been asserted

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      Verso UK: 6 Meard Street, London W1F 0EG US: 20 Jay Street, Suite 1010, Brooklyn, NY 11201 www.versobooks.com

      Verso is the imprint of New Left Books

      ISBN-13: 978-1-84467-801-3

      British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

      Typeset by Hewer Text UK Ltd, Edinburgh

      Printed in Sweden by ScandBook AB, Smedjebacken 2011

      This book is dedicated to my collaborators at the José Saramago Foundation, and in particular to Sérgio Letria and Javier Muñoz. They are the ones who wait night after night, in Lisbon and Lanzarote, sometimes till late, for me to send them my short pieces of writing. They are the ones who, one leaf at a time, have collected a volume I never imagined would be this extensive. They are the craftsmen of my blog.

      There is no need for this book to be dedicated to Pilar, because it has belonged to her ever since the day she said to me, “Here’s a job for you. Write a blog.”

       Contents

       Foreword: Impenitently Irritated, and Tender by Umberto Eco

       Preface

       SEPTEMBER 2008

       Words for a City

       An Apology to Charles Darwin?

       George W. Bush, or the Age of Lies

       Berlusconi and Co.

       The Pulianas Cemetery

       Aznar, the Oracle

       Biographies

       Divorces and Libraries

       Nothing but Appearances

       The Whiteness Test

       Clear as Water

       Hopes and Utopias

       OCTOBER 2008

       Where Is the Left?

       Enemies at Home

       On Fernando Pessoa