Manual of Painting and Calligraphy - by José Saramago (Paperback)

About the Book

An early example of Saramago's mastery, this novel takes us into the last days of Salazar's dictatorship when a second-rate artist is commissioned by a wealthy client to paint a portrait and the political and intellectual struggles that ensue.

Book Synopsis

From the Nobel Prize winning author--a novel that takes us into the last days of Salazar's dictatorship when a second-rate artist is commissioned by a wealthy client to paint a portrait and the political and intellectual struggles that ensue.

Manual of Painting and Calligraphy was José Saramago's first novel. Written eight years before the critically acclaimed Baltasar and Blimunda, it is a story of self-discovery set against the background of the last years of Salazar's dictatorship. A struggling young artist, commissioned to paint a portrait of an influential industrialist, learns in the process about himself and the world around him. The brilliant juxtaposition of a passionate love story and the crisis of a nation foreshadows all of Saramago's major works. A must-have for any devotee of the great Portuguese Nobel laureate, Manual of Painting and Calligraphy is now available in the United States.

"Taut and compelling." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Beautifully realized, heartbreakingly honest." -- Providence Journal-Bulletin

"Almost impossible to put down." -- Austin American-Statesman

From the Back Cover

Manual of Painting and Calligraphy was Jose Saramago s first novel. Written eight years before the critically acclaimed Baltasar and Blimunda, it is a story of self-discovery set against the background of the last years of Salazar s dictatorship. A struggling young artist, commissioned to paint a portrait of an influential industrialist, learns in the process about himself and the world around him. The brilliant juxtaposition of a passionate love story and the crisis of a nation foreshadows all of Saramago s major works. A must-have for any devotee of the great Portuguese Nobel laureate, Manual of Painting and Calligraphy is available in the United States for the first time.
Jose Saramago (1922 2010) was the author of many novels, among them Blindness, All the Names, Baltasar and Blimunda and The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis. In 1998 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Giovanni Pontiero translated all of Saramago s novels until his death in 1997, just after finishing his translation of Blindness.
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Review Quotes

"For a first novel, though, this work displays a masterly grasp of wordplay and other literary devices, and as the translator points out, it can also serve as a map to the political and social themes of Saramago's future novels."
--Library Journal --

About the Author

JOSÉ SARAMAGO (19222010) was the author of many books, among them Blindness and The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis. In 1998, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

GIOVANNI PONTIERO translated all of Saramago's novels until his death in 1997, just after finishing his translation of Blindness.