The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Saramago

[Kristel]

Post Reviews here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Our host is George.

[George P.]

Happy new year and welcome to the discussion on The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, one of José Saramago's five books in the 1001 lists. It is one of only two of his books that is a "core" book, that is, has been in all editions along with The History of the Seige of Lisbon. As you probably know, all his novels were written in Portuguese.
As I began reading it, I kept wondering how the Portuguese-speaking people pronounce the protagonist's surname, "Reis". I turned to my Portuguese friend on Goodreads, Nocturnalux (Anna), who told me it is pronounced "more like Reyes" and means kings. So it's essentially like the Spanish word with a different spelling.
Have you read any other novels written by Saramago? If so, how did you like it/them? His most-popular one by Goodreads ratings numbers is Blindness (which is not on the 1001 lists), which is the only other of his books I have read so far, and which I liked very much.
If you have read some or all of the novel at this time, go ahead and make whatever comments you wish about the novel and author, except let's hold off on discussing the ending for a while. I have read 80% of it now and hope to finish in about four more days.
I think I will wait to see if there is another reader more familiar with Saramago than I am who will give us information about him.

[Gail]

I have read Blindness and The Double. I also liked Blindness very much and thought The Double clever but unsatisfying. I have not yet started to read but hope to start relatively early in the month.

[Kristel]

I've read Caín. I enjoyed reading Cain. And I've looked forward to reading more Saramago. I don't know why it has taken so long but his books never seem to be chosen until this year and now we get two of them. The core ones.

[Pamela]

I’ve also read Cain. I like it a lot, it was witty and original - it is also very short so I’m looking forward to reading one (or two) of Samarago’s longer books. I’m still waiting for my copy to arrive so will be back once I’ve started reading.

[George P.]

Kristel wrote: "I've read Caín"

Cain is on my TBR list, perhaps for next year. I'm trying to mostly read books by authors I haven't read before.

Some say Cain is pretty amusing- The Year of the Death... certainly has some amusing and witty passages, but humor doesn't seem to be a key element of it, and Blindness is nearly devoid of humor.

[George P.]

Gail wrote: "I have read Blindness and The Double. I also liked Blindness very much and thought The Double clever but unsatisfying. I have not yet started to read but hope to start ..."

Gail, since this will be your third Saramago, I hope you will give us some background on him. I just know he was born in 1922 (hey, 2022 is the centennial of his birth) and died in 2010, and didn't become a well-known writer til in his 60s.

[Jamie]

Saramago is one of my favorite authors on the list, and I've read several of his novels, though mostly ones not on the Boxall list so far. I pulled up an ebook from the library with almost all of his novels in one ebook though for this month, so I'm hoping to finish them all in January. My favorite was Blindness, and I have a copy of the sequel, Seeing, on my shelf for this month too. I've also read Raised from the Ground, The Cave, Skylight, The Lives of Things, Small Memories(memoir), and The Stone Raft (my second favorite).

Saramago was an atheist, and since Portugal is predominantly Catholic his atheism makes him a bit of an outsider. He retired from writing after one of his books was removed from consideration for a prize by the Prime Minister because it was religiously offensive.
Saramago was a lathe operator and car mechanic as a younger man. He also worked as a journalist and eventually as the assistant director of a newspaper. He did some writing in his 20s and 30s, but didn't really become successful as a novelist until he was about 60. He eventually won the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1998. Saramago co-founded the European Writers' Parliament with Orhan Pamuk, but he died in 2010 just before the opening ceremony at which he was to speak.

[Gail]

Great background Jamie. Thank you.

[Kristel]

I finished Ricardo Reis book today. I am glad that I've read The Book of Disquiet by Pessoa.

Have you read Pessoa? How important is it to know about Pessoa and his writing style to understand this story?

[Gail]

I have read Book of Disquiet. I hope I appreciate The Year of the Death…more.

[Kristel]

Gail wrote: "I have read Book of Disquiet. I hope I appreciate The Year of the Death…more."

It is so much better but it does help that you've read the Book of Disquiet.

[George P.]

Kristel wrote: "I finished Ricardo Reis book today. I am glad that I've read The Book of Disquiet by Pessoa.

Have you read Pessoa? How important is it to know about Pessoa and his writing style to..."

I struggled to persist on Pessoa's Book of Disquiet and eventually stopped at one-third, thinking I may come back to it after a time, but so far I haven't. It is quite long. Many of my friends loved it.

[George P.]

Gail wrote: "I have read Book of Disquiet. I hope I appreciate The Year of the Death…more."

Gail, you did finish? Would be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

[Amanda]

I've read a decent bit of Saramago: Cain, History of the siege of Lisbon, and Blindness. Loved the first 2, thought the third was just alright.

Have also read The Book of Disquiet (and remember being one of the couple people on the botm thread who actually really liked it lol).

Excited for this one, just have to get my hands on it.

[Gail]

George, both Diane and I wrote reviews for Book of Disquiet under 1001 reviews. Diane, like Amanda, loved it and I did not but together they make interesting reading about the book.

[Kristel]

I also did not like The Book Of Disquiet. My review should be on that thread as well.

[Gail]

Yes, it is there Kristel and a short one from Pip as well.

[George P.]

Gail wrote: "George, both Diane and I wrote reviews for Book of Disquiet under 1001 reviews. Diane, like Amanda, loved it and I did not but together they make interesting reading about the book."

I did check out the reviews thanks to your prompting. Isn't it interesting how different readers have very different responses to the same work? Book clubs would be rather dull otherwise though.

[George P.]

Movie of "The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis":
Apparently no studio or director has made a movie from this book- until now! Portuguese director Joao Botelho made a film of it in 2020. Don't look for it on Rottentomatoes or Netflix, not there as yet, but there is a page on imdb.com for it which has some interesting still pics from the movie. Botelho was interviewed for the European Film Festival, in English, and if interested you can watch on Youtube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCUck... His accent is very strong and I couldn't follow everything.

Pessoa: A Biography
For anyone really interested in knowing a lot about Pessoa, there was a 1000+ page (!) biography about him with the title above published last year- it is listed in Goodreads. I find the city library system here in Salt Lake City has a copy.

[Pamela]

I’ve just finished this and really enjoyed it. I hadn’t read Pessoa but I didn’t feel I missed out because I could pick up a lot of background from the conversations between Pessoa and Reis. I thought this was a really clever device.

My favourite aspect was the way Saramago dealt with real historical events from that volatile period, revealing them through the newspapers Reis reads. I got a sense of history swirling around Reis and Portugal, who stood in their own slightly detached place.

[Gail]

I am having difficulty imaging a film based on this book. It would not exactly be an "action" film would it? The story does have the advantage of having much of the discussions about the nature of life and death and the blurring of that edge as dialogue between the dead Pessoa and the "blurry" Reis. I actually am thankful that I read Pessoa as it was helpful to see the parallels in their writing style and in their themes, although, of course, Saramago purposely drew those parallels. Saramago's Reis clearly typifies the man that Pessoa writes about: "I feel as if I'm always on the verge of waking up" or "I wasn't meant for reality, but life came and found me". Quotes from the Book of Disquiet.
I also agree with Pamela that the way Saramago places his characters in history is very well done. You feel history's horror about to unfold but the characters are not yet aware of what is to come.

[Daisey]

I just started this book in the last few days, so I'm not very far in yet. I have not read any of his other books, nor have I read Pessoa, but reading the comments above helps give me a bit more context to better understand it as I read. I am very much appreciating feeling immersed in the setting of Lisbon.

[Rosemary]

This was my second Saramago - the first was Blindness. I enjoyed savouring the writing in this book. I felt it was one that couldn't be rushed.

I haven't read Pessoa but I had heard of him, and it was only when Pessoa began to be a speaking character, around page 65, that I wondered if Ricardo Reis might have been a real person too and Googled Reis. So that was a surprise, which really opened up the book for me.

(view spoiler)[After that point, death became a strong theme in my mind. Ricardo Reis seemed both to know and not to know that his death was approaching, as he slowly faded from an active man starting a new life to someone who rarely left his apartment. I think most of us are like this, both knowing and not knowing that our lives have an end. (hide spoiler)] (Not sure what is the situation with spoilers on these threads, being new.)

I agree about the history. I know I tend to forget that most people in the 1930s had no idea what was brewing, and some of them picked a side that seems so obviously wrong to us today.

[[deleted user]]

Well I have finished this one I believe it is my first Saramago as I can't recall any others I have read. I have also read Disquiet and really didn't like that given the similar writing styles my views on this shouldn't be too hard to predict.

When I picked the book up I enjoyed it but once I put it down it was really hard to pick up again, I found myself reading one chapter a day just to get it out of the way.

That said there were some aspects I really enjoyed, the ghost of Pessoa who some people can see while others can't. Reis always having 2 glasses of wine on his table - was Pessoa with him or was he waiting for someone? The historical details about Portugal, Spain etc as revealed through the reading of the daily paper.

I also really enjoyed the portrayal of the nosy neighbours and the old men.

Overall a mixed bag for me which earns it an average 3 star rating.

[George P.]

I was fortunate to be able to visit Lisbon for a few days about 12 years ago. So while reading I sometimes pictured my memories of the streets in the old part of town that I saw, which added to it. I did see a bit of the river area where there is a big monument to the early ocean explorers. Has anyone else spent any time there? I have a GR friend in Portugal so if you want to ask her any questions let me know and I will tell you her response.

[Amanda]

Finished this one ...abut 2 weeks ago I think? but have been busy and getting to commenting now. Overall I liked this one but it wasn't my favorite Saramago and gave it 3 stars.

I did find the whole premise intriguing, and I liked the way it gets across the idea of someone's work and legacy outliving them (literally!), but the tragedy of the author's death is that their creations come to end as well.

[Pip]

I visited friends in Lisbon for a couple of weeks at Christmas in 1986 but we spent little time in the old part of town, only visiting for an unforgettable fado concert, so I had difficulty imagining the city streets. I expect that the people of Lisbon would enjoy reading the parts where Reis was wandering through the city streets in the rain. I found this a much easier read than The History of the Siege, possibly because reading two of his books in a month made me more attuned to his style. He wrote much about the art of writing "Perhaps it is the language that chooses the writers it needs, making use of them so each might express a part of what it is" which is an intriguing idea, worthy of Pessoa. Or "A word lies, with the same word one can speak the truth, we are not what we say, we are true only if others believe us", But Saramago breaks down the wall between the writer and the reader on occasion such as "Improbable on two counts, this conversation is reported as if it actualy took place. There was no other way to make it sound plausible". The whole premise of an author discussing serious issues with one of his characters, as imagined by Saramago is such a clever idea. However, the protagonists in both the novels I read this month absolutely exasperate me. They do nothing practical, except for sudden bursts of undeniably interesting writing, rely on women to clean up after them, Reis doesn't even finish the detective novel he has taken from the ship!

[Diane]

I read all of Saramago's list books and two non-list books, with Blindness probably being my favorite.

OMG Pessoa! The Book of Disquiet is one of my all time favorite books, EVER! It is funny how different people have different takes on the same book. His language is so poetic. If you aren't heavy into poetry it might not be appealing.

This was a solid read from Saramago which fell somewhere in the lower end of the works of is I have read.

[Daisey]

I finished this, but it was a hard read by the end. I feel I would have appreciated it more with a better understanding of Pessoa and his work. I was intrigued by the whole concept of Ricardo being the main character with Pessoa as a ghost, but I feel like I wasn't able to really appreciate everything the author did with this concept.