The Notebook. José Saramago
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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
George W. Bush, or the Age of Lies