A Jangada de Pedra
José Saramago is one of my favourite writers and I have read many of his books – Blindness is one of my favourite books ever. of which The Stone Raft is my most recent Saramago read, although it now dates back quite some time.
I love his take on the legacy of magical realism in Latin American literature. All of his books start on a rather unusual premise and go from there to develop the human side of the unexpected situation, driven very much by characters on a journey.
The Stone Raft certain follows in this familiar Saramago territory; the books opens with the Iberian Peninsula splitting along the Pyrenees and sailing off into the Atlantic Ocean. The story follows a group of individuals as they travel around the now floating peninsula, driven by feelings that they may have been the cause of the split.
Interestingly, Saramago was of the opinion that Spain and Portugal should be united and the book was written in 1986, the year when the two countries entered the EU's precursor, the European Economic Community.
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