false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg 29567 21 "If proofreaders were given their freedom and did not have their hands and feet tied by a mass of prohibitions more binding than the penal code, they would soon transform the face of the world, establish the kingdom of universal happiness, giving drink to the thirsty, food to the famished, peace to those who live in turmoil, joy to the sorrowful ... for they would be able to do all these things simply by changing the words ..." The power of the word is evident in Portuguese author José Saramago's novel, <I>The History of the Siege of Lisbon.</I> His protagonist, a proofreader named Raimundo Silva, adds a key word to a history of Portugal and thus rewrites not only the past, but also his own life. <P> Brilliantly translated from the Portuguese by Giovanni Pontiero, <I>The History of the Siege of Lisbon</I> is a meditation on the differences between historiography, historical fiction, and "stories inserted into history." The novel is really two stories in one: the reimagined history of the 1147 siege of Lisbon that Raimundo feels compelled to write and the story of Raimundo's life, including his unexpected love affair with the editor, Maria Sara. In Saramago's masterful hands, the strands of this complex tale weave together to create a satisfying whole. 1109068 book 1989 The History of the Siege of Lisbon total:468|5:149|4:155|3:115|2:42|1:7| 468 1801 781 52 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 2 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Mon Nov 05 09:40:52 -0800 2007 Mon Nov 05 09:40:52 -0800 2007 One-Hundred Years of Solitude, i was reminded of this book, one of my favorites of all time, because like Gabriel García Márquez's book, this was an awe-inspiring translation effort.

For 15 years i was an editor of reference books. It shouldn't be a su...more...]]> 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 2 false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Sep 05 00:36:46 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 05 00:53:41 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 1 false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 02 18:37:10 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 22 22:06:13 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 0 false Sun May 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 09:27:05 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 09:40:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 29567 1860467229 9781860467226 325 23 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29567.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 3 0 false Mon May 18 06:41:48 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 06:57:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 29567 1860467229 9781860467226 325 23 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29567.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 3 0 false Sat Oct 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 11:31:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 12:15:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 0 false Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 10:46:19 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 16:00:24 -0700 2009 1
Saramago is up to his typical mischiev...more...]]> 29567 1860467229 9781860467226 325 23 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29567.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 0 false Sun Oct 11 14:09:21 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 14:16:28 -0700 2009
I love the way Saramago's style is translated, which comes across as an unceasing nearly hypnotic flow of words. It is difficult to f...more...]]> 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 2 0 false Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 19 11:06:21 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 16 01:27:40 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 3 0 false Wed Jul 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 12:37:19 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 12:38:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 29567 1860467229 9781860467226 325 23 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29567.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 0 0 false Sun Mar 15 15:05:27 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 15:08:23 -0700 2009 29567 1860467229 9781860467226 325 23 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29567.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 4 0 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jun 13 08:51:22 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 08:56:26 -0700 2009 Saramago's style of writing takes getting used to, but it well worth the effort.]]> 29567 1860467229 9781860467226 325 23 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29567.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 0 false Mon Feb 23 11:41:39 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 11:42:40 -0800 2009 29567 1860467229 9781860467226 325 23 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29567.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 2 0 false Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 17:42:49 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 17:53:12 -0700 2009 29567 1860467229 9781860467226 325 23 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29567.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 4 0 false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Jan 28 02:05:43 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 28 02:13:48 -0800 2009 1103775 015100238X 9780151002382 3 3 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181013029m/1103775.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1103775.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 0 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1998 Sun Mar 01 17:16:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 17:16:30 -0800 2009 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 0 false Sun Jan 25 05:08:31 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 05:08:31 -0800 2009 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 4 0 false Sun Sep 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 22 16:02:40 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 18:37:00 -0700 2009
I really grew to care about the characters and what happened to them. ]]> 2542 0156006243 9780156006248 115 26 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161054115m/2542.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2542.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 5 0 false Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Wed Aug 08 17:03:45 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 08 17:07:31 -0700 2007 more...]]> 29567 1860467229 9781860467226 325 23 3.85 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168032366m/29567.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29567.The_History_of_the_Siege_of_Lisbon 2 0 false Sun Apr 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jan 13 07:35:35 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 13 07:35:35 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=29567