Essay on Lucidity

The calligraphy on the cover is by the writer Dulce Maria Cardoso.

In an unspecified country, an election process is proceeding normally. At the end of the day, after the votes are counted, it is found that in the capital approximately 701,300 voters cast blank ballots. When the elections are repeated the following Sunday, the number of blank votes exceeds 801,300. Apprehensive and suspicious, the government, instead of questioning the reasons why voters might cast blank ballots, decides to launch a vast police operation to discover the source of the infection undermining its political base and eliminate it. And this is how a violent rupture between political power and the people, whose interests the former is supposedly meant to serve and not confront, is triggered.

In an unspecified country, an election process unfolds normally. At the end of the day, after counting the votes, it is found that in the capital, approximately 701,300 voters cast blank ballots. When the elections are repeated the following Sunday, the number of blank votes exceeds 801,300. Fearful and suspicious, the government, instead of questioning the reasons why voters might cast blank ballots, decides to launch a vast police operation to discover the source of the infection undermining its political base and eliminate it. And thus begins a process of violent rupture between political power and the people, whose interests the former is supposedly meant to serve, not confront. Essay on Lucidity, José Saramago's most recent novel, constitutes a realistic and dramatic representation of the great question facing democracies in today's world: are they truly democratic? Do citizens, voters, play a real role in them, and not merely a formal one?

In an unspecified country, an election process unfolds normally. At the end of the day, after counting the votes, it is found that in the capital, approximately 701,300 voters cast blank ballots. When the elections are repeated the following Sunday, the number of blank votes exceeds 801,300. Fearful and suspicious, the government, instead of questioning the reasons why voters might cast blank ballots, decides to launch a vast police operation to discover the source of the infection undermining its political base and eliminate it. And thus begins a process of violent rupture between political power and the people, whose interests the former is supposedly meant to serve, not confront. Essay on Lucidity, José Saramago's most recent novel, constitutes a realistic and dramatic representation of the great question facing democracies in today's world: are they truly democratic? Do citizens, voters, play a real role in them, and not merely a formal one?

Circle of Readers

2004

Botimet Dudaj

2013 (Translated by Nasi Lera)

Es ist der Alptraum eines jeden Politikers, einer jeden Partei: Da ist Wahl, und keiner geht hin, schlimmer noch, die Wenigen, die kommen, geben unausgefüllte Stimmzettel ab. Und bei der Wahlwiederholung sind zwei Drittel aller Stimmzettel weiß. Doch statt die Motive der Wähler zu ergründen, verhängt man den Ausnahmezustand.
Eine glanzvolle Parabel über die Fragilität politischer Systeme und die moralische Hinfälligkeit des Menschen.

Stell dir vor, es sind Wahlen und keiner geht hin.

Bei den Wahlen in einem nicht genannten demokratischen Land geben über 70% der Wähler leere Stimmzettel ab. Die Regierenden sind verwundert, schließlich gab es vorher keine Anzeichen größerer Unzufriedenheit in der Bevölkerung. Als daraufhin erneut Wahlen angesetzt werden, fällt das Ergebnis noch schlechter aus. Der Premierminister wittert einen Angriff auf die Demokratie – und verhängt den Ausnahmezustand: Die Grundrechte werden aufgehoben, Versammlungen verboten, und man hört von willkürlichen Verhaftungen. Bald artet die »Krisenbekämpfung « in eine regelrechte Diktatur aus, die unausweichlich der Katastrophe entgegensteuert …

«Ein sehr mutiges Buch … geschrieben mit eigensinniger Weisheit und frischer Wut.» (Die Zeit)Bei einer politischen Wahl erhalten die Politiker eines namenlosen westlichen Landes eine schallende Ohrfeige: Fast alle abgegebenen Stimmzettel sind weiß! Entrüstet schlagen sie mit aller Kraft zurück: Der Ausnahmezustand wird verhängt, eine Mauer um die Stadt gezogen und schließlich jegliche behördliche Gewalt aus der Stadt abgezogen. Doch die Menschen arrangieren sich damit hervorragend und leben friedlich wie bisher. Die missachtete Staatsmacht muss also zu drastischeren Maßnahmen greifen … «Saramago ist ein Erzähler, der die Leser zur Phantasie verführt.» (Welt am Sonntag) «Eine glanzvolle politische Parabel.» (Focus) «Ein grandioses, von tiefem Skeptizismus durchzogenes Alterswerk.» (Handelsblatt) «Eine bewegende Parabel von der Verletzlichkeit der Demokratie und der Verantwortung des Einzelnen.» (Brigitte)

Die Stadt der Sehenden ist eine glanzvolle politische Parabel, ein Buch darüber, wie fragil unsere Demokratie sein kann, und wie sehr es von uns abhängt, sie mit Leben zu füllen. In der Hauptstadt einer ungenannten westlichen Demokratie geben bei einer Regionalwahl aus heiterem Himmel drei Viertel aller Bürger einen unbeschrifteten Stimmzettel ab. Die Regierung hält sich mit diesem Wahlergebnis für handlungsunfähig; eine Wiederholung bringt ein noch schlechteres Resultat. Die Minister sind bestürzt, ein subversiver Angriff auf das System, meinen manche, eine Torpedierung der Demokratie. Statt die Motive der Wähler zu ergründen, verhängen sie den Ausnahmezustand, um den „Infektionsherd“ zu finden. Diktatorische Maßnahmen und willkürliche Verhaftungen folgen. Unter den Verfolgten ist auch eine Frau, die Frau des Augenarztes aus Die Stadt der Blinden, Saramagos paradigmatischem Meisterwerk über die moralische Zerbrechlichkeit des Menschen. Die Stadt der Sehenden ist, wenngleich völlig unabhängig davon zu lesen, dessen Weiterführung, Ergänzung und Gegenstück – ein weiteres, notwendiges Element im Zyklus des großen Moralisten Saramago über das Wesen unseres Menschseins.

In an unspecified country, an election process unfolds normally. At the end of the day, after counting the votes, it is found that in the capital, approximately 701,300 voters cast blank ballots. When the elections are repeated the following Sunday, the number of blank votes exceeds 801,300. Fearful and suspicious, the government, instead of questioning the reasons why voters might cast blank ballots, decides to launch a vast police operation to discover the source of the infection undermining its political base and eliminate it. And thus begins a process of violent rupture between political power and the people, whose interests the former is supposedly meant to serve, not confront. Essay on Lucidity, José Saramago's most recent novel, constitutes a realistic and dramatic representation of the great question facing democracies in today's world: are they truly democratic? Do citizens, voters, play a real role in them, and not merely a formal one?

«Aullemos, tell the dog». Book of VoicesDuring the municipal elections of a city without name, the majority of its inhabitants decide individually to exercise their right to vote in an unexpected way. The government fears that this revolutionary gesture, capable of undermining the foundations of a degenerate democracy, is the product of an international anarchist conspiracy or of unknown extremist groups. The cloacas of power are underway: the guilty must be eliminated. And if they are not hallan, they are invented. With this work, Saramago, a writer who has become the lucid conscience of an era blinded by the mechanisms of power, launches a warning call: «It could happen that one day we have to ask ourselves: ¿Who has signed this for me?». That day could be today.

The calligraphy on the cover is by the writer Julián Fuks.

In an imaginary country, an unusual electoral phenomenon triggers a serious political crisis: at the end of the vote count, an astonishing number of blank votes are discovered – a “white epidemic” reminiscent of Blindness (1995), by the same author. In this novel, José Saramago creates an allegory about the fragility of the political system and the institutions that govern us.

On a voting morning that seemed like any other, in the capital of an imaginary country, the officials at one of the polling stations encountered an unusual situation, which would later be confirmed in an astonishing way during the vote count.

This was not an election like so many others, with the traditional division of votes between the "right," "center," and "left" parties; what we see is a radical choice for blank votes. Using the ultimate symbol of democracy – the ballot – voters seem to be deeply questioning the system of governmental succession in their country.

It is this “civic power outage” that Essay on Lucidity (2004) speaks of. Not only in the title does José Saramago refer to his Essay on Blindness (1995): also in the plot he revisits characters and situations, revisiting some of the ethical and political issues addressed in that novel.

In narrating the measures taken by the government, police, and press to understand the reasons for the "white epidemic"—actions that quickly lead to an authoritarian delusion—the author creates an allegory of the fragility of democratic rituals, the political system, and the institutions that govern us.

What is proposed is not the replacement of democracy with an alternative system, but its permanent questioning. It is through fiction that José Saramago envisions a way out of this impasse – for it is the symbolic power of literature (a territory where reflection, humor, art, and politics intertwine) that proves capable of overcoming mediocrity, ignorance, and fear.

The calligraphy on the cover is by the writer Julián Fuks.

On a voting morning that seemed like any other, in the capital of an imaginary country, the officials at one of the polling stations encountered an unusual situation, which would later be confirmed in an astonishing way during the vote count. This was not an election like so many others, with the traditional division of votes between the "right," "center," and "left" parties; what was observed was a radical choice for blank votes. Using the ultimate symbol of democracy – the vote – voters seemed to be deeply questioning the system of governmental succession in their country. It is this "civic power outage" that Essay on Lucidity (2004) speaks of. Not only does José Saramago allude to his novel *Blindness* (1995) in its title, but the plot also revisits characters and situations, revisiting some of the ethical and political issues addressed in that novel. In narrating the actions of the government, police, and press to understand the reasons for the "white epidemic"—actions that quickly lead to an authoritarian delusion—the author creates an allegory of the fragility of democratic rituals, the political system, and the institutions that govern us. What is proposed is not the replacement of democracy with an alternative system, but its permanent questioning. It is through fiction that José Saramago envisions a way out of this impasse—for it is the symbolic power of literature (a territory where reflection, humor, art, and politics intertwine) that proves capable of overcoming mediocrity, ignorance, and fear.

Folha de São Paulo

2012

Населението в столицата на една съвсем обикновена неназована страна решава на провеждащите се избори да гласува с бяла бюлетина. Повторното гласуване, организирано седмица по-късно, не само затвърждава, но и засилва протестния вот. Вместо да потърси причините за един толкова мащабен наказателен акт срещу системата, обезпокоеното за оцеляването си правителство прибягва до поредица от репресивни действия, като се започне от клеветата и се стигне до убийството.В романа „Проглеждане“, своеобразно продължение на „Сleпота“, Сарамаго ни казва, че прогледналият за политическата реалност човек може да преобърне посоката и да пренареди съдбата на цялото общество. Някогашните поданици, поразени от слепота и изпълнени единствено с желявие за физическо оцеляване, тук са се преобразили във възвърнали зрението си граждани, които поставят под въпрос мнимата демократичност на съвременния свят и твърдо отстояват свободния си избор.„Да лаем“, which is a method, which is започва романът. открито отхвърля системата на произвол и безчовечност. Всичко сякаш върви към добро. До неочаквания край.Зареден с напрежението на истински политически трилър, “Проглеждане„ and може би най-актуалният роман на големия писател. Книга, която казва за съвременната действителност повече от всяка друга.

„"Gardin"“

Reading Life

2019 (Trans.: Fan Weixin)

Reading Life

2014 (Trans.: Fan Weixin)

hainaim

2008

Saramago, a writer who has become the lucid conscience of an era blinded by the mechanisms of power, launches a warning call: «It could happen that one day we have to ask ourselves “Who has signed this for me?”». This day could be today.

«"Let's go," said the dog.»

BOOK OF CONTRARIES

During the municipal elections of a nameless city, the majority of its inhabitants decide individually to exercise their right to vote in an unexpected way. The government fears that this revolutionary gesture, capable of undermining the foundations of a degenerate democracy, is the product of an international anarchist conspiracy or of unknown extremist groups. The cloacas of power are underway: the guilty must be eliminated. And if it's not hallan, it's invented.

The protagonists of this new novel by Saramago, a police inspector and a woman who kept her sight in the white light epidemic of Blindness, demonstrates the moral height that anonymous citizens can achieve when they decide to exercise freedom.

Saramago, a writer who has become the lucid conscience of an era blinded by the mechanisms of power, launches a warning call: «It could happen that one day we have to ask ourselves ¿Who has signed this for me?». That day could be today.

«A work that plants the possibility of voting in white to improve democracy.» Babelia

Saramago, a writer who has become the lucid conscience of an era blinded by the mechanisms of power, launches a warning call: «It could happen that one day we have to ask ourselves “Who has signed this for me?”». This day could be today.

«"Let's go," said the dog.»

BOOK OF CONTRARIES

During the municipal elections of a nameless city, the majority of its inhabitants decide individually to exercise their right to vote in an unexpected way. The government fears that this revolutionary gesture, capable of undermining the foundations of a degenerate democracy, is the product of an international anarchist conspiracy or of unknown extremist groups. The cloacas of power are underway: the guilty must be eliminated. And if it's not hallan, it's invented.

The protagonists of this new novel by Saramago, a police inspector and a woman who kept her sight in the white light epidemic of Blindness, demonstrates the moral height that anonymous citizens can achieve when they decide to exercise freedom.

Saramago, a writer who has become the lucid conscience of an era blinded by the mechanisms of power, launches a warning call: «It could happen that one day we have to ask ourselves ¿Who has signed this for me?». That day could be today.

«A work that plants the possibility of voting in white to improve democracy.» Babelia

Saramago, a writer who has become the lucid conscience of an era blinded by the mechanisms of power, launches a warning call: «It could happen that one day we have to ask ourselves “Who has signed this for me?”». This day could be today.

«"Let's go," said the dog.»

BOOK OF CONTRARIES

During the municipal elections of a nameless city, the majority of its inhabitants decide individually to exercise their right to vote in an unexpected way. The government fears that this revolutionary gesture, capable of undermining the foundations of a degenerate democracy, is the product of an international anarchist conspiracy or of unknown extremist groups. The cloacas of power are underway: the guilty must be eliminated. And if it's not hallan, it's invented.

The protagonists of this new novel by Saramago, a police inspector and a woman who kept her sight in the white light epidemic of Blindness, demonstrates the moral height that anonymous citizens can achieve when they decide to exercise freedom.

Saramago, a writer who has become the lucid conscience of an era blinded by the mechanisms of power, launches a warning call: «It could happen that one day we have to ask ourselves ¿Who has signed this for me?». That day could be today.

«A work that plants the possibility of voting in white to improve democracy.» Babelia

Readers' Circle

2004

From copy i back, sense announce it, sense that cap leader of the dreta, from the left or from the center hospités, the vuitanta-three per cent of the citizens decideixen to exercise their dret to vote in white. During any time, citizens han follow consensually established opinions, but there is no time to express what they think in a democratic and silent way; There are no more tips about abuses of power. Totally aware of the alarm, the provisional government did not legitimately believe it was obligatory to save Democracy. You have to act. I will take drastic measures to put up with the clandestine white movement that is contagious to the poor. In his characteristic style, José Saramago makes a total and naked denunciation of the abuses of power. Assaig sobre la lucidesa is an extraordinary novel, a critical metaphor in which the Portuguese Nobel Prize prevails against the damunt of all dignity and the rotund confidence in civil society paraigua xop i treure`s la gavardina…Go to salute first the table companies that have acted with the vocals, before the interventors of the parties and their respective substitutes. own inclinations policies and ideologies. “A president, even if I follow an electoral college that is normal and current with a quest, only needs to guide all situations for the most strict sense of independence, or, in another way, keep appearances.“, Assaig about lucidesa

On election day in the capital, it is raining so hard that no one has bothered to come out to vote. The politicians are growing jittery. What's going on? Should they reschedule the elections for another day? Around three o'clock, the rain finally stops. Promptly at four, voters rush to the polling stations, as if they had been ordered to appear.But when the ballots are counted, more than 70 percent are blank. The citizens are rebellious. A state of emergency is declared. The president proposes that a wall be built around the city to contain the revolution. But are the authorities acting too precipitously? Or even blindly? The word evokes terrible memories of the plague of blindness that had hit the city four years before, and of the one woman who kept her sight. Could she be behind the blank ballots? Is she the organizer of a conspiracy against the state? A police superintendent is put on the case. What begins as a satire on governments and the sometimes dubious efficacy of the democratic system turns into something far more sinister. A singular novel from the author of Blindness.

In Blindness, a city is overcome by an epidemic of blindness that spares only one woman. She becomes a guide for a group of seven strangers and serves as the eyes and ears for the reader in this profound parable of loss and disorientation. We return to the city years later in Saramago's Seeing, a satirical commentary on government in general and democracy in particular. Together here for the first time, this beautiful edition will be a welcome addition to the library of any Saramago fan.

This collection, available exclusively in e-book form, brings together the twelve novels (and one novella) of the great Portuguese writer José Saramago, with an introductory essay by Ursula Le Guin. From Saramago's early work, like the enchanting Baltasar & Blimunda and the controversial Gospel According to Jesus Christ, through his masterpiece Blindness and its sequel Seeing, to his later fables of politics, chance, history, and love, like All the Names and Death with Interruptions, this volume showcases the range and depth of Saramago's career, his inimitable narrative voice, and his vast reserves of invention, humor, and understanding.

José Saramago yllättää jälleen; yli 80-vuotiaan nobelistin mielikuvitus on yhä ehtymättömän virkeää ja uusiutuvaa. Satiirisessa romaanissaan kirjailija ampuu täyslaidallisen valtaa pitäviä poliitikkoja kohti, mutta osansa saa siinä sivussa myös enemmän kaupallisesta menestyksestä kuin asiallisesta tiedonvälityksestä huolehtiva lehdistö. Portugalissa teos herätti ilmestyttyään närkästystä.Tarina alkaa vaaleista, joiden tulos on maan pääkaupungissa yllättävä: valtaosa äänestyslipuista on tyhjiä. Järkyttynyt hallitus järjestää uudet vaalit, mutta tyhjien äänien osuus vain lisääntyy. Demokratia on vakavasti uhattuna, ja kaupunkiin julistetaan poikkeustila. Hallinnolliset elimet siirretään pois pääkaupungista, ja ministerit maalailevat kauhukuvia sekasorrosta, joka oman onnensa nojaan jäävässä kaupungissa pian syntyy. Ironist kyllä elämä jatkuu siellä rauhallisempana ja järjestys moitteettomampana kuin ennen, aivan kuin asukkaat olisivat vain onnellisia kun konsensuspoliitikoista on päästy eroon. Tässä vaiheessa selviää, että olemme samassa kaupungissa, jossa viisi vuotta aikaisemmin kaikki sokeutuivat muutaman viikon ajaksi. Kyseessä on siis eräänlainen sisarteos Saramagon 1995 julkaistulle kirjalle Kertomus sokeudesta (suom. 1997).Kertomus näkevistä on kiistatta Saramagon hauskin ja nenäkkäin teos. Teksti on paikoin tarkoituksellisen sekavaa ja monimutkaista poliittista parodiaa, kun vaikuttaa siltä etteivät puhujat itsekään aivan tarkkaan tiedä, mitä kliseillään tarkoittavat. Saramago korostaa haluavansa tuoda esiin sen, kuinka konsensusdemokratia on vieraantunut yhä kauemmas äänestäjistä. Länsimaisesta demokratiasta on siten tulossa eräänlainen poliittisen eliitin diktatuuri, jossa päättäjät ratkaisevat asiat niin kuin heille itselleen sopii. Tätä ajatusta Saramago valaisee kaunokirjallisin keinoin. Rohkeiden kärjistysten ja tunteisiin vetoamisen avulla hän esittää saman ravistelevan kysymyksen kuin Jeesuksen Kristuksen evankeliumissa: Mihin te oikeastaan uskotte?

Panique électorale : à l'heure du dépouillement, 83% de votes blancs sont comptabilisés. Le chaos s'installe, le Gouvernement create à la conspiracy et déclare l'état de siège, le pouvoir se lance dans une chasse aux sorcières et la presse se déchaîne contre les coupables désignés. Seoul gives the panic, a commissioner faces the troubling truth…José Saramago is born in 1922 in Azinhaga, in Portugal. Écrivain majeur de la littérature portugaise, il a reçu le prize Nobel de littérature in 1998. Son œuvre, disponible en Points, est traduite dans le monde entier.« Subversif en diable, ce roman est un petit bijou d'intelligence et d'humor dont on ne saurait trop conseiller la lecture à chacun. To commence for les politiques de tout bord. » Le Monde

Σε κάποια χώρα γίνονται εκλογές. Γ λευκό με ποσοστό περίπου 70%. The το 80%. Μπροστά στο διαφαινόμενο κενό εξουσίας, τα δύο μεγάλα κόμματα, ο κρατικός μηχανισμός και οι δημόσιες υπηρεσίες εγκαταλείπουν την πόλη, καταστρώνοντας αστυνομικά σχέδια για να ανακαλύψουν τον υποκινητή. Μια έκπληξη όμως περιμένει τους κρατούντες: ο πληθυσμός της πόλης αφυπνίζεται, «φωτίζεται», και ανακαλύπτει από την αρχή τις αξίες της αλληλεγγύης, της προσωπικής ευθύνης, της αλληλοβοήθειας. Το Κράτος όμως δεν έχει πει ακόμα την τελευταία λέξη. Ένα απαισιόδοξο βιβλίο; «Δεν είμαι εγώ απαισιόδοξος. Eίναι ο κόσμος απαίσιος», ισχυρίζεται ο Ζοζέ Σαραμάγκου, που με το νέο αυτό μυθιστόρημά του, που κινείται στον αντίποδα του γνώρισε και πάλι μεγάλη επιτυχία σε όλο τον κόσμο.

Σε κάποια χώρα γίνονται εκλογές. Γ λευκό με ποσοστό περίπου 70%. The το 80%. Μπροστά στο διαφαινόμενο κενό εξουσίας, τα δύο μεγάλα κόμματα, ο κρατικός μηχανισμός και οι δημόσιες υπηρεσίες εγκαταλείπουν την πόλη, καταστρώνοντας αστυνομικά σχέδια για να ανακαλύψουν τον υποκινητή. Μια έκπληξη όμως περιμένει τους κρατούντες: ο πληθυσμός της πόλης αφυπνίζεται, «φωτίζεται», και ανακαλύπτει από την αρχή τις αξίες της αλληλεγγύης, της προσωπικής ευθύνης, της αλληλοβοήθειας. Το Κράτος όμως δεν έχει πει ακόμα την τελευταία λέξη. Ένα απαισιόδοξο βιβλίο; «Δεν είμαι εγώ απαισιόδοξος. Eίναι ο κόσμος απαίσιος», ισχυρίζεται ο Ζοζέ Σαραμάγκου, που με το νέο αυτό μυθιστόρημά του, που κινείται στον αντίποδα του γνώρισε και πάλι μεγάλη επιτυχία σε όλο τον κόσμο.

In De stad der zienden worden in een niet nader aangeduid land verkiezingen gehouden. Wanneer aan het einde van de dag de stemmen worden geteld, blijkt dat zo'n zeventig procent van de kiezers in de hoofdstad blanco heeft gestemd. De verkiezingen worden overgedaan en nu stemt bad tachtig procent blanco. De regering stelt alles in het werk om de activisten op te sporen en onschadelijk te maken. Een gewelddadige breuk tussen politieke macht en volk lijkt onafwendbaar.

In De stad der zienden worden in een niet nader aangeduid land verkiezingen gehouden. Wanneer aan het einde van de dag de stemmen worden geteld, blijkt dat zo'n zeventig procent van de kiezers in de hoofdstad blanco heeft gestemd. De verkiezingen worden overgedaan en nu stemt bad tachtig procent blanco. De regering stelt alles in het werk om de activisten op te sporen en onschadelijk te maken. Een gewelddadige breuk tussen politieke macht en volk lijkt onafwendbaar.

In De stad der zienden worden in een niet nader aangeduid land verkiezingen gehouden. Wanneer aan het einde van de dag de stemmen worden geteld, blijkt dat zo'n zeventig procent van de kiezers in de hoofdstad blanco heeft gestemd. De verkiezingen worden overgedaan en nu stemt bad tachtig procent blanco. De regering stelt alles in het werk om de activisten op te sporen en onschadelijk te maken. Een gewelddadige breuk tussen politieke macht en volk lijkt onafwendbaar.

In De stad der zienden worden in een niet nader aangeduid land verkiezingen gehouden. Wanneer aan het einde van de dag de stemmen worden geteld, blijkt dat zo'n zeventig procent van de kiezers in de hoofdstad blanco heeft gestemd. De verkiezingen worden overgedaan en nu stemt bad tachtig procent blanco. De regering stelt alles in het werk om de activisten op te sporen en onschadelijk te maken. Een gewelddadige breuk tussen politieke macht en volk lijkt onafwendbaar.

Helikon

2024 (Translated by: Pál Ferenc)

Saramago Vakság címû regényének helyszínén, az egykori „fehér vakság” országában vagyunk ismét, négy évvel a szörnyû események után, amelyekrõl ma már senki sem beszél; a közmegegyezés szerint úgy tekintenek arra az idõszakra, mintha meg sem történt volna.Ám egyszer csak megint furcsa dolgok történnek: a fõvárosi önkormányzativálasztásokon az emberek túlnyomó többsége üres szavazólapot dob az urnába. A megismételtválasztáson ugyanez történik, mire a demokráciát erõszakkal is érvényesíteni akaró kormány megbünteti a renitenskedõ fõvárost: elõbb kijárási tilalmat, majd ostromállapotot rendel el, s ügynökök, titkosrendõrök ezrei probálják megtalálni az összeesküvés szervezõit. akadt egy no, aki nem veszítette el a látását. Egy Háromfõs nyomozócsapat kapja a feladatot, hogy leplezze le az illetõt; a hatalom ugyanis kapva kap az alkalmon, hogy végre megtalálhatja ennek az új „vakságnak” a terjesztõjét…Borzongatóan, kegyetlenül determinált, orwelli világtárul ki elõttünk Saramago új mûvében, amelynek írásakor a szerzõre nyilván hatottak az elmúlt évek világpolitikai eseményei: regénye szuggesztív vízió és látlelet arról, mivé fajulhat a modern demokracía.

(מרים טבעון)]רק סאראמאגו, הסופר הכי חי באירופה, יכול להפיח רוח-חיים כזאת, חום אנושי כזה, זרימה עוצרת מורהז'וזה סאראמאגו, חתן פרס נובל לספרות, חוזר כאן ל'על העיוורון' הבלתי-נשכח שלו ברומאן המשך, שהוא גם ניגוד. העלילה של 'על הפיקחון' נפתחת ארבע שנים לאחר שבלי שום הסבר נעלם כלעומת-שבא העיוורון הלבן שתקף את כל האזרחים, פרט לאשתו של רופא-העיניים, היחידה שנותרה פקוחת-עיניים. אשתו של רופא-העיניים תופיע גם בספר זה, בתוך כל השישה, בני-חבורתה. במחצית הספר היא מפציעה והופכת להיות אחת משתי הדמויות המרכזיות, במלוא אנושיותה הסוחפת. הדמות שמנגד לה תהיה זו של רב-פקד, שנשלח על-ידי השלטון לעקוב אחריה ולהפליל אותה. תחילה הוא נראה קריקטורה, פארודיה על דמות מסרט-פעולה, המשתלבת יפה באופי של סרט-מתח שהספר הולך ולובש. אבל דווקא הרב-פקד יעבור את המהפך האנושי הדרמטי ביותר בספר, ותתגלם בו כוחה של האמפתיה להתגבר אף על המצבים האבסורדיים ביותר. קודם-לכן תתגלגל העלילה מדחי אל דחי, בלי יכולת לעצור, בשל ’מגפה לבנה‘, ’עיוורון לבן“ חדש: ביום הבחירות בעיר הבירה לא מגיע איש להצביע בגלל הגשם והסופה. אבל בשעה ארבע, לאחר שמזג-האוויר השתפר, נוהרים לפתע התושבים לקלפיות בהמוניהם כאיש אחד. כשאלה נפתחות, מסתבר שיותר משבעים אחוז הצביעו בפתק לבן. בחירות חוזרות, כעבור שבוע, מעלות את אחוז הפתקים הלבנים לשמונים-ושלושה. השימוש שלוח-הרסן בזכות ההצבעה בפתק לבן נראה לממשלה כאיום על אושיות הדמוקרטיה והמולדת, כאילו התעוור קהל הבוחרים ועיניו טחו מראות את ההשלכות ההרסניות של הצבעתו. וכך מכריזה הממשלה מצב חירום, ופעולותיה נגד תושבי עיר הבירה הולכות ומסלימות. האם אשה אחת, בגלל שלא התעוורה לפני ארבע שנים, בימי העיוורון הלבן, אחראית היום ל”קונספירציה הלבנה“ – לכך שכמה מאות-אלפי אנשים, שמעולם לא שמעו עליה, הצביעו בפתק לבן? רק סופר חכם, חריף, פרוע וחם-רגש כסאראמאגו יכול לרקוח את העלילה המבריקה הזאת, שתביא אותנו לבחון לא מעט מוסכמות שחוקות של חיינו במבט חדש.

What happens to a country if all elezioni i cittadini decide in mass voting schedule white? Quali meccanismi vengono sollecitati fine alla rottura, quali contromisure andranno messe in atto? If the genius of José Saramago with this extraordinary novel, avvincente comes as a giallo and penetrating as an analysis (fantasy)politics. L'ipotesi più accreditata è che ci sia un legam fra questa “rivolta bianca” e l'epidemia di cecità che, solo quattro anni prima, si era sparsa como la peste. Gli indimenticabili protagonisti di Cecità fanno ritorno, per condurci in un viaggio di scoperta delle radici dark del potere. A journey that can be achieved in a new way and spietato sui mechanics of the world in which we exercise (the credit of exercise) on our libertà.

«Se il Saggio sulla lucidità non causarà polemiche è perché la società dormito». José Saramago«Un libro con cui, si voglia o non si voglia, si concordi o no, siamo tutti chiamati a discusse». la RepubblicaUn country without name. A quote without a name. Delle normali elezioni amministrative. But it doesn't go to this verse. We don't go to sea, we don't say anything later. Vote, ma vote scheda bianca. A revolutionary gesture, an anarchic congiure, a provocation of extreme groups? Si ventila infine l'ipotesi che debba esservi un nessso fra la «rivolta delle schede bianche» el'epidemia di cecità dilagata per un certain tempo quattro anni addietro. Uno degli agentsi segreti sguinzagliati per la capitale indaga sulla donna che all'epoca non diventò cieca, indicata como l'autrice di un delitto; and her husband, ophthalmologist. Enter into contact with the law, and arrest the knowledge of the intention of the government…An avvincente «giallo politico» in its ritornano gli indimenticabili protagonisti di Cecità. An apologo sui latito oscuri del potere e una spietata analisi del mundo contemporaneo.

Mondolibri

2006 (Translated by Rita Desti)

José Saramago (1922–2010) – vienas svarbiausių šiuolaikinių rašytojų, Nobelio premijos laureatas – groteskiškai pašiepia dabarties gyvenimo principus ir įžvalgiai svarsto būsimas žmonijos gyvenimo forma. „Praregėjimas“ tęsia žymiausio José Saramago Romano „Aklumas“ (liet. 2007) themes. Neįvardytame mieste vyksta rinkimai, po kurių paaiškėja, kad dauguma biuletenių – nepažymėti. Valdžia siekia sustabdyti šį pavojingą reiškinį ir izoliuoja miestą paskelbdama jame apsiausties būvį. Tai metaphoriškas roman filosofinis apie pokyčių baimės ir inertiškos prigimties apakintą, tačiau tvarkos išsiilgusią visuomenę, kuri staiga „praregi“, bet taip ir nepašalina aklumą sukėlusių priežasčių.

Knyga dalinai paremta pagal Europos Sąjungos programą „Kūrybiška Europa“.

What would happen if we all freely decided to vote blank? The results are astounding: the dueños of power don't know what to do before the wave of citizen conscience, the disconcierto cunde and demons are unleashed. The work is a lesson of dignity, fortitude and indomitable struggle for the highest ideals.

Kommunevalget (i den ikke navngitte byen) gir et foruroligenderesultat. Den lave valgdeltagelsen kan skyldes det overhendige regnværet (bøtter, tønner, niler og yangtsekianger), langt mer foruroligende er det at opptil 83% av stemmesedlene viser seg å være blanke. Myndighetspersoner aner et ulmende opprør (mot hva?), og setter straks i verk tiltak for å ta Ondet (hvilket?) ved roten. Raskt brister systemets demokratiske ferniss. Med alvorligste mine – og få motforestillinger – innskrenkes, og fjernes, borgernes rettigheter.I det stigende hysteriet trekkes trådene tilbake til den epidemi av blindhet som rammet byens innbyggere noen år tidligere, en form for hvit blindhet som bare skånet én kvinne. Kan de blanke (eller altså hvite) stemmesedlene føres tilbake til den spesielle kvinnen fra den gangen?

Kommunevalget (i den ikke navngitte byen) gir et foruroligenderesultat. Den lave valgdeltagelsen kan skyldes det overhendige regnværet (bøtter, tønner, niler og yangtsekianger), langt mer foruroligende er det at opptil 83% av stemmesedlene viser seg å være blanke. Myndighetspersoner aner et ulmende opprør (mot hva?), og setter straks i verk tiltak for å ta Ondet (hvilket?) ved roten. Raskt brister systemets demokratiske ferniss. Med alvorligste mine – og få motforestillinger – innskrenkes, og fjernes, borgernes rettigheter.I det stigende hysteriet trekkes trådene tilbake til den epidemi av blindhet som rammet byens innbyggere noen år tidligere, en form for hvit blindhet som bare skånet én kvinne. Kan de blanke (eller altså hvite) stemmesedlene føres tilbake til den spesielle kvinnen fra den gangen?

1998 r. i najpopularniejszy na świecie prozaik portugalski, sławę zdobył dopiero w sześćdziesiątym roku życia swoją trzecią powieścią Baltazar i Blimunda, nagrodzoną prestiżową nagrodą portugalskiego PEN Clubu oraz Nagrodą Literature nienazwanym mieście, znanym czytelnikom z Miasta ślepców, obywatele postanawiają w niezwykły sposób skorzystać z prawa wyborczego. 80 percent wyborców wrzuca do urn czyste białe karty do głosowania. Tę manifestcje rząd interpretuje jako podważenie zasad demokracji, jako spisek wymierzony przeciwko prawowitym władzom wybranym w demokratycznych wyborach. Zapada decyzja o wprowadzeniu stanu wyjątkowego, rząd,obrażony na swoich obywateli, opuszcza miasto. Nikt jednak nie jest w stanie przewidzieć, jaki będzie rozwój wydarzeń, rzeczywistość zadaje kłam wszystkim przewidywaniom i zmusza do rewizji utartych poglądów.

Ta niezwykła powieść laureata literackiej Nagrody Nobla jest wstrząsającym studium opresyjności władzy i nieludzkości ludzkiej natury, a także wnikliwym spojrzeniem na społeczną naturę człowieka i jego zdolność do nieustannych zmian.

A brilliant, cruelly ironic, surreal exposé of what we think of as civil society John Burnside Scotland on SundayDespite the heavy rain, the presiding officer at Polling Station 14 finds it odd that by midday on National Election day, only a handful of voters have turned out.Puzzlement swiftly escalates to shock when eventually, after an extension, the final count reveals seventy per cent of the votes are blank – not spoiled, simply blank. National law decrees the election should be repeated eight days later. The result is worse; eighty-three percent of the votes are blank. The incumbent government receives eight per cent and the opposition even less. The authorities, seized with panic, decamp from the capital and place it under a state of emergency. Who are the insurgents? Why the desire to destabilize the country? The authorities leap from one possibility to the next, but achieve nothing. The lack of hostility exacerbates things, since how can justice be put out when not a single law has been broken? To all intents and purposes the administration is blind. Similarities to the plague of blindness that struck the city four years ago become apparent.

In his new novel, José Saramago has deftly created the politician's ultimate nightmare: disillusionment not with one party, but with all, thereby rendering the entire democratic system useless. Seeing explores how simply this could be achieved and how devastating the results might be.

He writes with wit, with heartbreaking dignity, and with the simplicity of a great artist in full control of his art – Guardian

Nothing I can remember reading tells me more and with such arresting humor and simplicity, about the imposture of the times we live in Julian Evans – Independent

Saramago portrays an instantly recognizable world in which our political master bang on about democracy while pursuing policies without any regard to the normal standards of law and basic morality, but in this dense, dark and occasionally brutal book he never forgets the satirist's duty to be funny Peter Parker – Sunday Times

The narrative voice is impressively uncompromising Sarah Emily Miano – The Times

This is political satire delivered with rare intellectual gravitas – Mail on Sunday

Romanul Eseu despre luciditate debuteaza cu un scrutin general in capitala unei tari imaginare, dar perfect obisnuite. La sfirsitul zilei, se nmara voturile si reiese ca approximate saptezeci la suta dintre electori votura in alb. Duminica urmatoare oamenii sint din nou chemati sa voteze si, de data aceasta, Numarul de voturi in alb depaseste optzeci la suta. Membrii guvernului intra in panica, o molima contagioasa para sa le submineze demersurile politice si, daca este asa, atunci aceasta trebuie anihilata. Incercind sa afle care ar putea fi explicatia unui asemenea fenomen, incep o vast politieneasca operatiune, culminind, in lipsa de rezultate, cu instaurarea starii de asediu si retragerea guvernului din capitala – provizoriu, sustin mai-marii, pina cind populatia capitalei va revila la sentimente mai bune in ceea ce priveste puterea politica, cea despre care se presupune ca ar trebui sa-i reprezinte. Izolati si lipsiti de “indrumare”, cetatenii capitalei au reactii dintre cele mai imprevizibile.

Всем демократическим выборам и всем людям избирательного возраста посвящается!
Продолжение ромаю ситуацию. В первой книге автор дает представление о том, как будет выглядеть мир без социальной стабильности, без правительства, see жители ослепнут и станут беспомощны. Очень жестоки и реалистичны картины в “Слепоте”, и они потрясают. В романе “Прозрение” тот же город четыре года спустя после эпидемии. 83% бюллетени чистыми. Правительство в шоке. What's the point in this article?

“Прозрение”- экстраординарная вещь, написанная в стиле политической сатиры, богатая metетафорами и комментариями: “Мы все продолжаем лгать, когда говорим правду, и говорим правду, когда лжем”… Главные вопросы романа: Из тех, кто сейчас может видеть, кто прозрел а кто нет? How can you handle it?

Here's what you've heard about the story, don't tell me edinogo политического события, которое бы не было полностью или частично описано в “Прозрении”. Достаточно начать читать книгу, чтобы увидеть что она и про нас тоже.

Всем демократическим выборам и всем людям избирательного возраста посвящается!
Продолжение ромаю ситуацию. В первой книге автор дает представление о том, как будет выглядеть мир без социальной стабильности, без правительства, see жители ослепнут и станут беспомощны. Очень жестоки и реалистичны картины в “Слепоте”, и они потрясают. В романе “Прозрение” тот же город четыре года спустя после эпидемии. 83% бюллетени чистыми. Правительство в шоке. What's the point in this article?

“Прозрение”- экстраординарная вещь, написанная в стиле политической сатиры, богатая metетафорами и комментариями: “Мы все продолжаем лгать, когда говорим правду, и говорим правду, когда лжем”… Главные вопросы романа: Из тех, кто сейчас может видеть, кто прозрел а кто нет? How can you handle it?

Here's what you've heard about the story, don't tell me edinogo политического события, которое бы не было полностью или частично описано в “Прозрении”. Достаточно начать читать книгу, чтобы увидеть что она и про нас тоже.

Всем демократическим выборам и всем людям избирательного возраста посвящается!
Продолжение ромаю ситуацию. В первой книге автор дает представление о том, как будет выглядеть мир без социальной стабильности, без правительства, see жители ослепнут и станут беспомощны. Очень жестоки и реалистичны картины в “Слепоте”, и они потрясают. В романе “Прозрение” тот же город четыре года спустя после эпидемии. 83% бюллетени чистыми. Правительство в шоке. What's the point in this article?

“Прозрение”- экстраординарная вещь, написанная в стиле политической сатиры, богатая metетафорами и комментариями: “Мы все продолжаем лгать, когда говорим правду, и говорим правду, когда лжем”… Главные вопросы романа: Из тех, кто сейчас может видеть, кто прозрел а кто нет? How can you handle it?

Here's what you've heard about the story, don't tell me edinogo политического события, которое бы не было полностью или частично описано в “Прозрении”. Достаточно начать читать книгу, чтобы увидеть что она и про нас тоже.

Svojevrstan nastavak Slepila, Saramagov romance većina populacije ostavlja nepopunjene glasačke listiće. Priča se plete oko borbe vlade i njenih zvaničnika i ministara da pojme i, istovremeno, unište taj amorfni antipokret neopredeljenih glasača. U drugom delu ovog Romana pojavljuju se likovi iz Slepila, uključujući doktora i doktorovu ženu, za koju sumnjaju da je vođa ovog antipokreta, i tada zaplet počinje…

„U osnovi Roman je sarkastična Saramagova parabola o pravilima igre zapadne demokratije: neopredeljeni birači, kako ove tvrdoglavce nazivaju, sasvim su mirni, čak poslušni građani kakve vlast samo poželeti može. Ali njihovo odbijanje da se pretvaraju kako im izborni proces daje neki izbor vredan glasanja, sa stanovišta vlasti, duboko je subverzivan – to je neoprostiv greh i nedopustiv propust.“ Terens Raferti, The New York Times

„Roman koji oslikava savremeni svet više nego ijedna knjiga danas. vodilja današnjim generacijama, mudrac koji ume da razume i koji zna za čim da žali.“ Ursula Le Guin, The Guardian

Vad skulle hända om majoriteten av valdeltagarna i ett politiskt val bestämde sig för att rösta blankt? Det är vad som händer i Nobelpristagaren José Saramagos nya roman Klarsynen. Inrikesministern misstänker en konspiration och inför undantagstillstånd, förflyttar regeringen och sätter igång en klappjakt på blankröstare. Terrordåd och mord avlöser varandra, när någon påminner sig om den kvinna som under den vita blindheten för fyra år sedan var den enda som förblev seende. Kan hon ligga bakom sammansvärjningen?”Om inte den här boken väcker debatt så är det för att samhället sover”, sa författaren i samband med att boken publicerades i Portugal.

Can

2008 (Translated by Aykut Derman)