The History of the Siege of Lisbon by Jose Saramago


Amazon.com
"If proofreaders were given their freedom and did not have their hands and feet tied by a mass of prohibitions more binding than the penal code, they would soon transform the face of the world, establish the kingdom of universal happiness, giving drink to the thirsty, food to the famished, peace to those who live in turmoil, joy to the sorrowful ... for they would be able to do all these things simply by changing the words ..." The power of the word is evident in Portuguese author José Saramago's novel, The History of the Siege of Lisbon. His protagonist, a proofreader named Raimundo Silva, adds a key word to a history of Portugal and thus rewrites not only the past, but also his own life.
Brilliantly translated from the Portuguese by Giovanni Pontiero, The History of the Siege of Lisbon is a meditation on the differences between historiography, historical fiction, and "stories inserted into history." The novel is really two stories in one: the reimagined history of the 1147 siege of Lisbon that Raimundo feels compelled to write and the story of Raimundo's life, including his unexpected love affair with the editor, Maria Sara. In Saramago's masterful hands, the strands of this complex tale weave together to create a satisfying whole.

Book Description
A rollicking tale of love, memory, and the mysteries of history

Raimundo Silva, an innocuous bachelor and proofreader, one day takes it upon himself to alter a key word in a history text. His revision changes a signal episode in Portuguese history and leads him into an affair of the heart that dictates an entire rewriting of history into a grand historical romance. Saramago constructs an ambitious tale around this episode, invoking broader mediations on historiography, the uses and abuses of language, and life under authoritarian rule. It is a delight for all readers of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, and Salman Rushdie.

Summary
When a Portuguese proofreader rewrites history by changing a word in a text, he unexpectedly wins the heart of his supervisor, Maria Sara, who encourages him to fabricate more in the grand style of a historical romance. Around this seemingly minor episode, Jose Saramago, "Portugal's great fabulist" ("Los Angeles Times") constructs one of his most ambitious, sweeping novels to date, a magical tale of love, memory, and the revision of things past.


 


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