The Notebook

By José Saramago, Umberto Eco, Amanda Hopkinson and Daniel Hahn

Beginning on the eve of the 2008 US presidential election, The Notebook evokes life in Saramago’s beloved Lisbon, revisits conversations with friends, and offers meditations on the author’s favorite writers. Precise observations and moments of arresting significance are rendered with pointillist detail, and together demonstrate an acute understanding of our times. Characteristically critical and uncompromising, Saramago dissects the financial crisis, deplores Israel’s punishment of Gaza, and reflects on the rise of Barack Obama. The Notebook is a unique journey into the personal and political world of one of the greatest writers of our time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: May 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781844678013

José Saramago

JOSÉ 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.

Reviews for The Notebook

[jmc400m · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An inside look into the mind of Jose Saramago, a winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1998. This is a collection of notes, that I believe are blog entries, about a variety of subjects, the most popular being politics and thoughts about his other creative contemporaries. There are some interesting references to Portuguese writers and artists which I found interesting as I have not had much exposure to them. One of his favorite topics in the book is the Palestinian situation and the lack of truth and biases that exist in favor of the Israelis. He has much disdain for the political elite and gives much criticism of such leaders as Berlusconi and Bush. Saramago comes across as truthful and candid in his opinions which makes this book an interesting and thought-provoking read.

[quailjulia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An inside look into the mind of Jose Saramago, a winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1998. This is a collection of notes, that I believe are blog entries, about a variety of subjects, the most popular being politics and thoughts about his other creative contemporaries. There are some interesting references to Portuguese writers and artists which I found interesting as I have not had much exposure to them. One of his favorite topics in the book is the Palestinian situation and the lack of truth and biases that exist in favor of the Israelis. He has much disdain for the political elite and gives much criticism of such leaders as Berlusconi and Bush. Saramago comes across as truthful and candid in his opinions which makes this book an interesting and thought-provoking read.