Indeed, the nobel prize winning portuguese writers excellent the double is the. Enemy is a 20 canadianspanish psychological thriller film directed by denis villeneuve, produced by m. Jose saramago 19222010 was the author of many novels, among them blindness, all the names, baltasar and blimunda, and the year of the death of ricardo reis. One night, when watching a film, adam spots a minor actor who looks just like him. The double by jose saramago and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Old as our fears, the familiar figure of the double haunts the literatures of every country. Watching a rented video, tertuliano maximo afonso is shocked to notice that one of the actors is identical to him in every physical detail. Saramago was not catholic but he knew the bible like a priest, he wrote two books about it, and both discredit the bible, he called it the book of nonsense. To lift his depression, a colleague suggests he rent a certain video. It also reminds the reader once again that saramago is no doubt one of the best novelists in the history of modern literature. Oct 23, 2011 the malign, selfsatisfied deity of cain and of the gospel according to jesus christ, to which this book is a coda, resembles the disembodied, cruel government of saramagos. I read several of jose saramago s books in the past and enjoyed them. Jose saramago is currently considered a single author. Some are very political, some have powerful undertones of parable, but in my case there is a clear winner.
Buck before you read it is the time of the world war. Jose saramago was born in 1922 in azinhaga, portugal, the son of rural laborers. After reading this one, i ordered three more saramago books. Margaret jull costa has established herself as the premier translator of portuguese literature into english today. This sends him into a frenzy of renting videos to try. Here is the gist of an interpretation i did today of easily the most interesting part of 2014 in film so far, the double, directed by richard ayoade, based on the philosophical fiction classic by fydor dostoyevsky, and enemy, directed by denis villanueve, based on the philosophical fiction classic the double, by jose saramago. The double by jose saramago book club discussion questions.
The director of blade runner 2049 and arrival delivers a gripping and atmospheric adaptation of nobel laureate jose saramago s provocative thriller the double 2002. He was born into a poor rural family in central portugal in 1922 but was being hailed as one of the worlds best novelists by the end of the 1990s. The double by jose saramago, margaret jull costa kirkus. He had little use for punctuation and loved a good long runon sentence. Sep 20, 20 the double by jose saramago is the story of a history teacher who, while watching a film, spots a minor actor who is his exact physical double.
This is how all wars and fights have seemed to start in the past and present, due to a form of blindness to the opponents views. The central character in cain is the eponymous brothermurderer, but the novel covers much of the old testament, beginning with adam and eve and including joshua, job, sodom and gomorrah, and concluding with noahs ark. Saramago, jose, and costa, margaret jull translated by published by mariner books 2005. Enemy featurette explores adapting the novel by the. But, i found this book even deeper and no doubt thought provoking. In a certain sense, enemy, a loose adaptation of jose saramagos the double. When he was two, the family moved to lisbon, where his father worked as a police officer, but saramago still spent a lot. I have enjoyed other books of saramago better like the cave or the double. The film stars jake gyllenhaal in a dual role as two men who are physically identical, but different in personality. A wry, fictional account of the life of christ by the 1998 nobel laureate in literature illuminated by ferocious wit, gentle passion, and poetry.
Tertuliano maximo afonso is a history teacher in a secondary school. Faura and niv fichman and written by javier gullon, loosely adapted from jose saramago s 2002 novel the double. I sat like this in front of my computer after finishing blindness and the stone raft. Jose saramago was born in 1922 in azinhaga, about 100 kilometres northeast of lisbon. Like all good nobel laureates, he was the kind of writer who wrote about the human. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. The unique voice and style of writing get to the extreme in this book. Melanie laurent, sarah gadon, and isabella rossellini. The double by jose saramago translated by margaret jull costa 292pp, harvill. Cain by jose saramago translated by margaret jull costa.
Even before cain is on the scene, god neither the deity nor the characternames are capitalized has his issues with. Cains vagabond journey builds to a stunning climax that, like the book itself, is a fitting capstone to a remarkable career. Apr 19, 2015 the late nobelist jose saramago couldnt resist remaking fyodor dostoevskys the double cleverly calling his version the double. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. The theme of shared identity, treated by such masters as poe, stevenson, and dostoevsky, animates the 1998 nobel winners latest. He grew up in great poverty in lisbon, and was forced to abandon school at the age of 12 in order to earn a living. In jose saramagos novel, the duplicate man, this passage describes the moment which tertuliano, a history teacher, decides to meet him double, the secondtier actor antonio claro. The asphyxiating office setting of the original gets slightly more sophisticated. The double by jose saramago the man who has just come into the shop to rent a video bears on his identity card a most unusual name, a name with a classical flavor that time has staled, neither more nor less than tertuliano maximo afonso.
Faura and niv fichman and written by javier gullon, loosely adapted from jose saramagos 2002 novel the double. Jose saramago is one of the most important international writers of the last hundred years. Jan 01, 2008 this book is a mishmash of memoir, biography and nostalgia. Publishers weekly, starred saramago transforms familiar stories boldly, but with an intricate respect for their power and for the mysterious power of storytelling itself. He is divorced, involved in a rather onesided relationship with a bank clerk, and he is depressed. In 1998 he was awarded the nobel prize for literature. After holding a series of jobs as mechanic and metalworker, saramago. Born in portugal in 1922, he was in his sixties when he came to prominence as a writer with the publication of baltasar and blimunda. Jose saramago nobel prizewinning writer jose saramago came from very humble origins. Jose saramago 19222010, a portuguese writer, won the nobel prize for literature in 1998. Revisiting the ending of denis villeneuves enemy, spiders and all. Lessons from jose saramago writing blog scribophile. I borrowed this book from a friend who got it for her birthday from someone who wrote on the first page.
Dr sadao hokis house was built on a spot of the japanese coast where as a. An exlibrary book and may have standard library stamps andor stickers. Saramago decided to blog and the notebook is its output. Should he save him as a doctor or hand him over to the army as a patriot. Saramago was an atheist in real life, and this book is a reimagining of some of the stories of the old testament with the title character cain being the center of novel. He embarks on a secret quest to find his double and sets in motion a train of events that he cannot control. Enemy jose saramago margaret jull costa 20190310t04. This is the latest in a string of books i have read that i have not really enjoyed.
Cains is the story of mankind, and saramago was one of those authors much concerned with the plight of mankind. This book is a mishmash of memoir, biography and nostalgia. Aug 06, 2004 the double by jose saramago translated by margaret jull costa 292pp, harvill. Translated from the portuguese by margaret jull costa. Enemy jose saramago margaret jull costa 9780099461654. The story of cain, told by the logic view of saramago, is a master piece. The son of rural labourers, saramago grew up in great poverty in lisbon. After holding a series of jobs as mechanic and metalworker, saramago began working in a lisbon publishing firm and. Browse author series lists, sequels, pseudonyms, synopses, book covers, ratings and awards. The late nobelist jose saramago couldnt resist remaking fyodor dostoevskys the double cleverly calling his version the double.
Jul 08, 20 the most interesting feature of his job place is the discipline imposed on all employees by the boss. The inspiration for the major motion picture enemy starring jake gyllenhaal and directed by denis villeneuve. One finishes a paragraph and literally gasps for air. Occasionally sad, oddly nostalgic, strangely whimsical, saramago mourns for his fallen peers and celebrates their art. Ive read four of saramagos books and he has such a diverse range of interests i think different people will prefer different books. It was translated into english and published as the double in 2004. He is wise, carries within his mind and soul the tradition of all previous bosses and all previous central registrars and he doesnt talk much just a few words to give directives, followed by an authoritative wave of the hand. Jul 15, 2011 cains is the story of mankind, and saramago was one of those authors much concerned with the plight of mankind. While i appreciated some of the cynicism and the sarcasm, it wore on me after a while. Jun 18, 2010 jose saramago, portuguese novelist and man of letters who was awarded the nobel prize for literature in 1998. Enemy is a canadian film, an adaptation of jose saramagos 2004 novel the double. Maybe this is a better path to getting to know saramago im not sure how i would rate other paths.
In portuguese, the title is literally the duplicated man. This is a wonderful book, one of the best books that i read in a couple of years. We know that human reason and unreason are the same everywhere. An american prisoner of war is washed ashore in a dying state and is found at the doorstep of a japanese doctor. Jake gyllenhall plays adam, a glum university lecturer nearing the end of his relationship with girlfriend mary melanie laurent. When he was two, the family moved to lisbon, where his father worked as a police officer, but saramago still spent a lot of time with his. O homem duplicado is a 2002 novel by portuguese author jose saramago, who won the nobel prize in literature. Saramagos cain is a flawed everyman, driven by survival, by ordinary decency and ordinary meanness, by sexual appetite. The double jose saramago translated from the portuguese by margaret jull costa new york. Then, he buys pops in store costumes and, in front of the mirror, make up other image attempt to demarcate more clearly the. The double by jose saramago and a great selection of related books. Mar 09, 20 ive read four of saramago s books and he has such a diverse range of interests i think different people will prefer different books. Saramago was spent 2 years training as a technician,did a number of manual jobs before becoming a journalist, translator, and eventually a writer.
He writes in a world where there is both restriction and abundant means to write. Begin your discussion of the double by exploring how the book addresses such enemies of selfhood as obsession, fear, and mortality. I read several of jose saramagos books in the past and. Saramagos novel explores the nature of individuality and examines the fear and insecurity that arise when our singularity.
Saramago is the first portuguese writer to win the nobel prize for literature. Enemy featurette explores adapting the novel by the maestro. By richard eder globe correspondent, october 15, 2011, 4. Saramago s novel explores the nature of individuality and examines the fear and insecurity that arise when our singularity comes under threat, when.
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