José Saramago (1922–2010)

"You never know beforehand what people are capable of, you have to wait, give it time, it's time that rules, time is our gambling partner on the other side of the table and it holds all the cards of the deck in its hand, we have to guess the winning cards of life, our lives."

A blindness epidemic breaks out, infecting almost everyone in this fictional setting and what ensues is a tumbling into anarchy. One of the things that made me think a lot from this book is the kind of panic and fear an epidemic strikes within us as human beings and how the people affected by the disease suffer because of this. You don't have to think so far back to remember such instances. The Ebola virus, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, The Aids epidemic. How fast we give the "other" status to those that suffer, isolate and stigmatise them for fear we might also get infected and suffer from the same fate, so much so that the people are called "carriers" and whatever other names given to distinguish them from "the healthy people".

The extent of human callousness and generosity is also explored, there are certain passages that are unforgettable in their horror and what's worse is the fact that these horrors of rape and violent death were/are a reality for some people. That human beings have no restraint when it comes to making life a living hell for other human beings.

This book was a heavy one, but it's the kind of book that stirs certain moral questions within us that ought to be reexamined every now and then.… (more)

King Joao III of Portugal brought an elephant, Solomon, and keeper, Subhro, back from India, but for 2 years it has been of little use and eats a lot. He decides to give him as a gift to Archduke Maximilian II of Austria as a wedding gift. When he receives the Archduke's acceptance he has the animal and keeper delivered to him in Valladolid, Spain where the Archduke has been staying. Then the Archduke will take him across Spain and Italy back to Vienna. The book chronicles that journey from mostly Subhro's point of view with a lot of omniscient asides by the author. Lots of quirky little stories and philosophical wanderings are covered in lengthy streaming sentences where whole conversations are delineated by a few commas. It took a while to get into the flow and I didn't always appreciate some of the authors interjections, although some were amusing. I had been curious to try this Nobel Prize winner's work and am glad I did, but will probably not seek out more.… (more)

“Deep down, the problem is not a God that does not exist, but the religion that proclaims Him. I denounce religions, all religions, as harmful to Humankind. These are harsh words, but one must say them.” - Jose Saramago

When I was a young child, I was given a three volume set of The Bible Story Library, the Holy Scriptures retold in story form for the young…

José Saramago’s Cain is the book I wish I was given instead. It would have been a welcome companion to my youthful incredulity. It would have let me know that despite the professed beliefs of those around me, I was not alone in believing these stories were merely myths about a god that was anything but praiseworthy.

Jennifer Michael Hecht says in her book Doubt, “There are saints of doubt, martyrs of atheism, and sages of happy disbelief…” Then there’s Saramago.

Cain is Saramago’s evisceration of the Old Testament’s Jehovah. Pythonesque but more mocking and derisive in tone, Saramago delivers not a midrash, but a mauling - and ultimately shows that what is reaped is what is sowed. This apple will not fall far from the tree.

In Saramago’s reimagining of Cain, this doomed son of Adam is a fratricide and insatiable libertine, and yet seemingly also the moral center of the story.

When God confronts him after the murder of Abel, Cain accuses God of being just as culpable as himself due to the fact that He could have intervened (which He shows Himself all too willing to do when it suits His purpose) but consciously chose not to. ”You gods, you and all the others, have a duty to those you claim to have created,” Cain tells him.

God then tells Cain it was a moral test and he failed, and marks Cain, telling him he is now under divine protection - doomed to wander the earth heavy with sin.

What follows is a twisted tale where Cain mysteriously finds himself traveling through time and space, allowing Saramago to imagine him participating in and giving moral commentary on some of the most highly problematic stories in the Old Testament (the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of his son, and the great flood are just a few examples).

Each successive encounter leaves Cain more perplexed and disgusted by the actions of this petulant, vindictive Jehovah.

A nonconformist (as dismissive of syntactic convention as he is of religious dogma), Saramago seems to be asking the reader: Does this make any sense to you? Do you find this praiseworthy?

Albert Camus said ”A world that can be explained even with bad reasons is a familiar world. But, on the other hand, in a universe suddenly divested of illusions and lights, man feels an alien, a stranger.”

Mythologies may not be true or worthy, but they do provide a lifeboat for those struggling to stay afloat through the tempest.

Saramago needs no lifeboat. He shows himself an audacious swimmer - even against the strongest current.… (more)

“Deep down, the problem is not a God that does not exist, but the religion that proclaims Him. I denounce religions, all religions, as harmful to Humankind. These are harsh words, but one must say them.” - Jose Saramago

When I was a young child, I was given a three volume set of The Bible Story Library, the Holy Scriptures retold in story form for the young…

José Saramago’s Cain is the book I wish I was given instead. It would have been a welcome companion to my youthful incredulity. It would have let me know that despite the professed beliefs of those around me, I was not alone in believing these stories were merely myths about a god that was anything but praiseworthy.

Jennifer Michael Hecht says in her book Doubt, “There are saints of doubt, martyrs of atheism, and sages of happy disbelief…” Then there’s Saramago.

Cain is Saramago’s evisceration of the Old Testament’s Jehovah. Pythonesque but more mocking and derisive in tone, Saramago delivers not a midrash, but a mauling - and ultimately shows that what is reaped is what is sowed. This apple will not fall far from the tree.

In Saramago’s reimagining of Cain, this doomed son of Adam is a fratricide and insatiable libertine, and yet seemingly also the moral center of the story.

When God confronts him after the murder of Abel, Cain accuses God of being just as culpable as himself due to the fact that He could have intervened (which He shows Himself all too willing to do when it suits His purpose) but consciously chose not to. ”You gods, you and all the others, have a duty to those you claim to have created,” Cain tells him.

God then tells Cain it was a moral test and he failed, and marks Cain, telling him he is now under divine protection - doomed to wander the earth heavy with sin.

What follows is a twisted tale where Cain mysteriously finds himself traveling through time and space, allowing Saramago to imagine him participating in and giving moral commentary on some of the most highly problematic stories in the Old Testament (the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham’s attempted sacrifice of his son, and the great flood are just a few examples).

Each successive encounter leaves Cain more perplexed and disgusted by the actions of this petulant, vindictive Jehovah.

A nonconformist (as dismissive of syntactic convention as he is of religious dogma), Saramago seems to be asking the reader: Does this make any sense to you? Do you find this praiseworthy?

Albert Camus said ”A world that can be explained even with bad reasons is a familiar world. But, on the other hand, in a universe suddenly divested of illusions and lights, man feels an alien, a stranger.”

Mythologies may not be true or worthy, but they do provide a lifeboat for those struggling to stay afloat through the tempest.

Saramago needs no lifeboat. He shows himself an audacious swimmer - even against the strongest current.… (more)