Heillandi skáldverk eftir nóbelsverðlaunahafann José Saramago. Sagan er fyrst og fremst ástarsaga Baltasars og Blimundu en Saramago lætur hana tengjast byggingu klaustursins í Mafra og vefur inn í frásögnina sögulegum persónum á borð við konungshjónin, tónskáldið Domenico Scarlatti og prestinn Bartolomeu de Gusmão sem er talinn vera einn af forvígismönnum flugsins. Kommúnistinn og trúleysinginn Saramago fjallar napurlega um áhrif trúar og einvalds á alþýðuna sem þjáðist en elskaði um leið vöndinn. Heillandi lýsingar af samfélaginu og lífi elskendanna eru burðarás sögunnar og láta fáa ósnortna. ( )

Another Saramago book from 1001 list completed. This story is a story of love between the soldier who has lost a hand in battle and the girl who has been orphaned by the Inquisition. It is set in 18th century Portugal. It is also known as Memorial of the Convent. Convent of Mafra is a real place. If it is built then the king will have a son. It is a story of how this was built by dragooned peasants. Actual religion is not favored as Saramago is known as not a religious man. Another part of the story is the invention of a flying machine by the heretical priest Bartolomeu Lourenco (also a real person). Baltasar and Blimunda help him with building the machine. Blimunda has special powers to see into people. The relationship of Blimunda and Baltasar is the love story. There is a line in the book that there is no God but only death and life and that we don't have life until we die. There is also a social commentary and political statements. Historical magical realism, romance, social commentary, antireligion. It's all here. ( )

Good book. I liked the story but because I had to read it for school I didn't like it as much as if I read it for pleasure. ( )

last effort from Portugal I endeavoured to read through was the utterly futile Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa. It is with great thankfulness that I can report Saramago is nothing like Pessoa. He is, in fact, very readable.

The novel is set in 18th century Portugal and centres on Baltasar, returning from war with a hook in place of his left hand. He meets Blimunda and they fall in love. They then meet Bartolomeu Lourenco, an actual historical figure, who they end up working for on a project to create a flying machine.

Saramago writes with in a lovely mixture of historical fiction and magic realism. This means that both sides of your brain get involved. He switches back and forth regularly enough so that neither side gets bored and this keeps you moving along nicely.

Story and writing style aside, the absolutely showpiece of this novel is the description of the inception and construction of the immense Convent of Mafra. It’s so easy for us in the 21st century to forget just how much manpower went into these monuments. Saramago makes it a captivating read.

Ultimately though, this is a love story, and that permeates every page. ( )

Immaculate story-telling and a beautiful (but sad) analysis of the best and worst of what people are capable of, told in meandering sentences, sometimes pages long, with intense pacing and editing and a terrific thrust from start to finish, Why is there wealth, How can we treat animals better than human beings, And is it really possible to fly? ( )