Saramago en sus palabras (Spanish Edition)

This compilation of interview excerpts offers a panoramic, if patchy, view of the late Nobel Prize winner José Saramago's thoughts. Organized in thematic chapters-autobiography, literature, politics-the quotes usually don't take longer than half a page and are sometimes short aphorisms (e.g., "The future of the future is in the South"). The musings about his own work offer some insight on the role of the narrator/author and the scant use of punctuation in his novels. Also, his memories of his poor upbringing in the town of Azinhaga, his beginnings as a journalist and aspiring writer in Lisboa, and his love story-late in life-with his wife Pilar del Río, are engaging and heartfelt. But, as it was the norm in Saramago's public life until his death last year, his morals and politics take up most of the space. He describes himself as "religiously atheistic" and a "hormonal Communist." He both decries U.S. and Israel's foreign policy and discusses his public break up with Cuba's regime in 2003. He also describes at length his love-hate relationship with his native Portugal and encourages its integration with Spain and Latin America. Although the book does not contain previously unpublished material and is at times repetitive and sanctimonious, this is definitely a trove for Saramago's fans. Recommended for public libraries and general bookstores.—Carlos Rodríguez Martorell, East Elmhurst, NY