Jos茅 de Sousa Saramago (16 November 1922 鈥� 18 June 2010) was a Portuguese novelist and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature, for his "parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony [with which he] continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory reality." His works, some of which have been seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the theopoetic. In 2003 Harold Bloom described Saramago as "the most gifted novelist alive in the world today."
Skylight is the first novel by Jos茅 Saramago, who received the Nobel Prize in 1999. In 1953, the editors refused the work, lost almost forty years, and published it posthumously. The author tells the story of the life of many characters in a building in a small Portuguese town in the 1950s, where appearances are more important than reality: couples who hate each other, young people girls in bloom, bitter sisters, a philosopher shoemaker, and his young tenant Abel, a woman maintained by a business director to whom she gives lessons in dignity, sewists in love with music especially that of Beethoven, and Diderot. All this little world has been sifted with happiness and an undeniable talent for storytelling ... this novel dealing with seemingly innocuous situations is an accurate revealer of the situation in Portugal, under the dictatorship of Salazar in the middle of the twentieth century , everyone keeps their secrets ... behind the unspoken, the false pretenses, it is the whole of the society of the time which is singled out ... implicitly: mistrust, hidden or incestuous loves, hatred impregnable, indifference, contempt is, physical and moral miseries, hope ... Pettiness, baseness, each one observes and measures himself ... alone, Abel, young man without ties, (would it be the author himself?) remains outside these ordinary, banal life, he philosophizes with Sylvestre the shoemaker, a thoughtful and engaging man, reasonable and in love with his wife, the good Mariana ... Abel asks himself questions, wonders about the life of these little people ... are the secrets of Lydia who lives on her charms in the apartment next to the one where Abel lives? What are the secret motivations of the dressmakers who are in love with classical music and Diderot? The author reveals a corner of the veil to us without ever falling into a caricature. That's to draw these endearing characters' profiles. Like an entomologist, he observes the many women who populate this beautiful work. Older women, young, fresh and pleasant, skinny, the fat Mariana so beautiful in her youth, insolent, unhappy, workers, resigned or erased, deceived, provocative, mentally tortured, or deeply in pain. It was a lovely book in the end, fine and revealing, brilliant in certain respects in the portraits and the meticulous observations, Vivid and profound at the same time, of this little people's society where it is trivial, which, sometimes, is the most revealing!
I read an article about this book in the Boston Globe. I was intrigued, because the author, Jose Saramago wrote this novel in the 1940-1950鈥檚. He sent it to a publisher, but never heard back. This snub sent him into a 20-year funk where he never wrote anything again. After 20 years, the publisher said that it 鈥渇ound it hidden in a drawer鈥� while the business was moving locations, and wanted to publish it now. Saramago said no, in fact it would NOT be published in his lifetime. His reason: no one has an obligation to love anyone else, but we are all under an obligation to respect each other. He felt the publishing company had a duty to respond to the person waiting impatiently and anxiously day after day, month after month. He didn鈥檛 want a reminder of the perceived snub in print. Of course, when the publisher wanted to publish this novel, Saramago was a Nobel Prize winner for Literature. When he submitted it, he was unknown.
This work it true literature. Considering it was written when Saramago was in his 20鈥檚, it鈥檚 brilliant. It鈥檚 a story of the lives of the renters of five apartments in 1950 Lisbon. Saramago uses his characters to show the daily grind of the human condition. Saramago had great insight into struggles that structure a day.
One of the renters, Silvestre, is a cobbler who needs to takes in a lodger for economic reasons. To me, Silvestre is Saramago鈥檚 alter ego. The cobbler spends much of the novel being philosophical and imparting his wisdom to his lodger. Silvestre feels that a life without love is no good life. He feels experiences are only good when you can share the insights gained from the experiences.
Major domestic themes are played out. Given the apartment situation, gossip and prying and the ill affects are at the forefront. Dignity and what it means to different people is fodder for argument. Lack of money drives most of the indignities.
It鈥檚 a sad tale. It鈥檚 thought-provoking and timeless in themes.
O de Clarab贸ia talvez, ainda, n茫o seja o Saramago G茅nio, mas 茅 um excelente Saramago.
Num pr茅dio localizado em Lisboa, em meados dos anos 50 do s茅culo passado, vivem seis fam铆lias. Atrav茅s delas temos uma vis茫o da mentalidade da 茅poca e das vidas de gente humilde e de uma classe social a quem a vida n茫o sorria. Com muita eleg芒ncia e subtileza Saramago trata de temas delicados para a altura: os casamentos infelizes, em que o sexo pode ser o 煤nico suporte; a homossexualidade feminina; a prostitui莽茫o; a infidelidade; a solid茫o interior; a falta de liberdade e autonomia, principalmente das mulheres,...(N茫o me parece estranho que o romance, escrito nos anos 50, tivesse ficado esquecido na gaveta do editor...)
Gostei muito. Tiro-lhe uma estrela, apenas porque existe o Memorial e o Ricardo Reis e a Cegueira...
Skylight is a fictional novel about stories happening in an apartments鈥� building where six tenants are exposed in their daily moments, and, to connect with the novel鈥檚 title, it feels like there鈥檚 a skylight above the stairs where the narrator sees what鈥檚 going on inside the building. Also, in Saramago鈥檚 own words, 鈥�Skylight is the story of a building with six tenants successively involved in a plot. I think the book is not poorly constructed. Anyway, it鈥檚 also a na茂ve book, but as far as I remember it has things that already have to do with my way of being.鈥�
Of course, he was right. This book feels like a gateway into Saramago鈥檚 work, and even if it was considered 鈥榯he book lost and found in time鈥�, it surely feels like a gift to get to read this book that was written in 1953, when Saramago was in his young days, but published only after the writer鈥檚 death, in 2011.
My initial reaction when I learnt about this odd happening with the novel鈥檚 manuscript was like, oh, this is like Snow White that had to wait for the Prince Charming to kiss her to come back to life from her long dreamless sleep. As the history says it, the 1953 manuscript was found and returned into the writer鈥檚 hands, and his family got it published. Having read already a bunch of his novels, I was very happy to see how his mind worked back then in terms of literary style, because it鈥檚 so obvious that this book contains all his later literary obsessions, and let鈥檚 admit it, he really had had lots of them :)
To me, Skylight is a strong-minded book, written with maturity, with confidence, with wisdom. The young writer has a wonderful ability to portray all characters with very find subtlety and economy, to reveal the depth and universality of the most trivial situations happening in our lives, to trample on societal conventions in a very serenely way, considering that life anyway is not easy for most, or all. And the entry to Saramago鈥檚 universe, is made more brilliant when the author guides the reader into this apartments鈥� building and its inhabitants, in some places in the very enjoyable company of Fernando Pessoa (there is even some quotes from his works), Shakespeare, Eca de Queiroz, Diderot and Beethoven鈥�.
-We live among men, let us help men. -And what do you do for that? -I鈥檒l fix their shoes, since there鈥檚 nothing else I can do now.
Even if it鈥檚 not his most 鈥榟appy ever after鈥� sort of book -- it鈥檚 pessimistic but not utterly bleak, it鈥檚 lyrical but not overly sentimental, it has instants of extraordinary poignancy by showing the humans鈥� vulnerabilities and weaknesses鈥攕till, for all of these reasons, and something more, I have enjoyed it so very much. Something more is triggered by a slight resemblance that I have felt between this small working-class apartment building in Lisbon around 1950 and the story of Bonbon Palace, set in Istanbul, from The Flea Palace by Elif Shafak. I don鈥檛 remember all the details but if I would re-read it, then I would possibly find out that there are many common points between the two books. In the end, both works reveal comic and tragic details about the fragile, frugal and hard lives of their inhabitants鈥�
Then they had supper. Four women sitting round the table. The steaming plates, the white tablecloth, the ceremonial of the meal. On this side鈥攐r perhaps on the other side too鈥攐f the inevitable noises lay a dense, painful silence, the inquisitorial silence of the past observing us and the ironic silence of the future that awaits us.
Amongst all the characters, I especially enjoyed the moments of togetherness between Silvestre, the cobbler, an old man living a hard-working, responsible built life, in the most modest, limited, practical way, and Abel, a young man who has left his parents and home when he was 16 years of age and, presently at 28 years, has been living alone, drifting from one house to another, from one job to another, trying to get a sense of his life, of its meaning, of what is one supposed to do with one鈥檚 life鈥�
The book ends abruptly , with a last chat between the two, and in fact Abel has the last words of the book, 鈥橳he day when we can build on love has not yet arrived.鈥�, as counter-reply to Silvestre鈥檚 words that, Everything that is not built on love will give birth to hatred.鈥�
All things seemed so natural, that none of them, actors in the comedy of errors that was their life, didn't think to find this rather curious, and this is maybe, possible because, 鈥� You don't know who I鈥檓 and you will never know. Nobody knows... I don't even know who you are. We don't know each other... You will want to be happy. For now, you are not thinking about such a thing and that is exactly why you are happy. When you think, when you want to be happy, you won't be anymore. Never! Maybe never!... Did you hear me? Never. The greater your desire to be happy, the more unhappy you will be. Happiness is not something that can be conquered. You will be told that yes it can be conquered. Don't believe it. Happiness either is or isn't.
Ler a obra Clarab贸ia foi um pouco como rever a pe莽a d'A Barraca a que tive o prazer de assistir em Janeiro em Lisboa... sem tirar nem p么r.
O que me fascinou foi - de novo - a intensidade dos di谩logos entre o sapateiro e o seu inquilino. Neste livro de Saramago h谩 um pouco de tudo o que existia (e existe ainda) na nossa sociedade: curiosidade, intriga, desconfian莽a, lealdade, deslealdade, amizade (ou a falta dela), indiferen莽a, paternalismo, ci煤me, interesse, amor ou desamor e por a铆 fora. Muita coisa fica nas entrelinhas do que 茅 dito. Cabe ao leitor dar-se conta de tudo isso.
Gostei imenso do que li e de relembrar muitas express玫es antigas, mas tenho pena que, tendo em conta que se trata de uma obra datada de 1953 (ainda que editada pela primeira vez apenas em 2011) e apesar de se poder ler na nota do editor "A presente edi莽茫o reproduz fielmente o original"... o livro esteja redigido usando as regras do novo acordo ortogr谩fico. Isso "irritou-me" um pouco. De resto, 茅 Jos茅 Saramago, ainda um pouco imberbe 茅 verdade, :) mas j谩 muito do que depois se tornou.
"- O seu mal Abel, 茅 n茫o amar. - Sou seu amigo e a amizade 茅 uma forma do amor. - De acordo..."
"Em todas as almas, como em todas as casas, al茅m da fachada, h谩 um interior escondido." Raul Brand茫o
"Estava s贸. O cigarro ardia lentamente entre os dedos. Estava s贸 como tr锚s anos antes, quando conhecera Paulino Morais. Acabara-se. Era preciso recome莽ar. Recome莽ar. recome莽ar... Devagar, duas l谩grimas brilharam-lhe nos olhos. Oscilaram um momento, suspensas da p谩lpebra inferior. Depois, ca铆ram. S贸 duas l谩grimas. A vida n茫o vale mais que duas l谩grimas."
Este 茅 o meu livro preferido de Saramago (devo ser a 煤nica) e, portanto, achei que merecia uma review.
脡 um livro um pouco diferente daquilo a que estamos habituados a ler do autor. 脡 mais realista, n茫o possuindo o elemento de realismo m谩gico que caracteriza a obra principal e posterior do mesmo. Ainda assim, 茅 um livro primorosamente escrito, com algumas das minhas passagens preferidas da literatura. Saramago debru莽a-se sobre 6 lares diferentes, reflectindo em temas como a bondade, a mesquinhez, a sexualidade, a dor, a fam铆lia.
Pessoalmente, foi um livro que me tocou imenso. Saramago tem uma prosa lind铆ssima, e transporta-nos para o mundo das suas personagens muito facilmente, como se o leitor fosse um confidente das mesmas, passeando de casa em casa, sentando-se ao lado de cada pessoa, ouvindo, sentindo o mesmo.
Recomendo imenso esta obra mesmo a quem n茫o goste de Saramago. S贸 pela prosa,vale a pena ler.
Como quem nos incita a espreitar atrav茅s de uma clarab贸ia, Saramago conduz-nos atrav茅s dos ladrilhos da hist贸ria dos moradores de um pr茅dio comum de um bairro de classe m茅dia baixa na Lisboa de 1952. As hist贸rias que se cruzam revelam as ordin谩rias vidas e quotidianas apoquenta莽玫es de cada n煤cleo de habitantes, tecida na linguagem escorreita e na habitual perspetiva realista e antropocentrista. Cada cap铆tulo 茅 uma janela indiscreta para as pequenas mis茅rias da vida mundana das personagens, iguais a todos n贸s. O dom de falar no banal e elev谩-lo a extraordin谩rio atravessa a obra de Saramago, e 茅 esse um dos aspectos que tornou Clarab贸ia um dos meus livros favoritos do autor, at茅 脿 data: ao inv茅s de explorar uma grande quest茫o complexa que nos atormenta de forma mais descarada (E se ningu茅m morresse? E se ningu茅m fosse votar?), aqui essas quest玫es est茫o embutidas nas 铆nfimas epopeias di谩rias das personagens e dos seus conflitos. 脡 uma hist贸ria sobre pessoas comuns e a sua vida comum, a vidinha de que falava o O'Neill. Da obra do autor que j谩 conhe莽o, 茅 sem d煤vida o Saramago de leitura mais prazerosa e menos tumultuosa.
Staklena kupola mo啪e poslu啪iti kao primer tvrdnjama da se pisac ne ra膽a 鈥� makar ne nu啪no 鈥� nego se piscem postaje, a da se ro膽enjem mo啪e dobiti jedino 啪elja da se postane. A nije pogre拧no tu 啪elju imenovati talentom, sve dok ona podsti膷e na posve膰enost, hrani pronicljivost i, kona膷no, taba put jedinstvenom pe膷atu i prepoznatljivom stilu. Saramagov stil, ili bar ono po 膷emu je najprepoznatljiviji, ovde se jo拧 uvek ne vidi, ali se mo啪e nazreti. Vidi se, pak, nare膷ena 啪elja i vidi se da je bila velika. Iz nje su, rekla bih, i proistekle manjkavosti ovog romana, kojih ima, ali mnogo manje nego 拧to bi se o膷ekivalo 膷ak i od dvadesetpetogodi拧njeg debitanta i, iznena膽uju膰e, manje nego 拧to ih ima u romanima ve膰 afirmisanog Saramaga. Drugim re膷ima, da je izdava膷 koji je odbio rukopis Staklene kupole imao 膷estitog i posve膰enog urednika, druga bi se pesma pevala. To bi moglo biti obrazlo啪enje za manju popularnost Staklene kupole od, recimo, Smrti i njenih hirova koja, pomenimo, ni cipele ne mo啪e da joj 膷isti. Ovo je galerija obi膷nih, sasvim korektno razvijenih likova, povezanih istom lisabonskom adresom i svakodnevicom tamo拧nje radni膷ke klase po膷etkom pedesetih godina pro拧loga veka. To su, dabome, sasvim zadovoljavaju膰i uslovi da njihova ljudskost 鈥� ona kojoj ni拧ta nije strano 鈥� uzme maha u raznim varijacijama: od kurvanja, preko incesta i bizarnih seksualnih fantazija, do propalih brakova i porodi膷nih tragedija. Sve, dakle, ono 拧to bi se moglo i dan danji na膰i pod krovom ma koje stambene zgrade, a lepo ukrojene dinami膷nosti sa nekoliko zaista smelih, gotovo grotesknih scena.
Neka jo拧 ka啪em da sam ovaj naslov izabrala zbog Jasmine Ne拧kovi膰 i Jovana Tati膰 (da, zbog Antune拧a), u slu膷aju da se neki izdava膷, tragaju膰i za dobrim prevodiocima sa portugalskog, pro拧eta i ovuda.
Veoma dobro! (za 5 je ipak potrebno Jevan膽elje ili Rikardo Rei拧)
Claraboia relata a vida de seis fam铆lias modestas (ou antes, cinco fam铆lias modestas e uma "mulher por conta" n茫o t茫o modesta) que habitam um pr茅dio em Lisboa no in铆cio da d茅cada de 1950 - os seus amores e desamores, dramas e conflitos familiares, preocupa莽玫es e batalhas pelo ganha-p茫o, sonhos, aspira莽玫es, bisbilhotices. Praticamente toda a ac莽茫o decorre neste pequeno mundo entre paredes.
(O pr茅dio)
O estilo, com par谩grafos e pontua莽茫o convencionais, est谩 distante daquele que viria a caracterizar Saramago (este romance foi escrito em 1953 embora s贸 viesse a ser publicado postumamente em 2011), mas a sua habilidade enquanto contador de hist贸rias 茅 j谩 evidente. Como tamb茅m j谩 se vislumbra o seu esp铆rito provocador ao abordar temas tabu para a 茅poca salazarista em que o romance foi escrito.
Quem conhece as obras posteriores de Saramago n茫o deixar谩 de notar nesta Claraboia alguma ingenuidade, natural num escritor que ainda est谩 longe da sua plena maturidade. Contudo a leitura prende desde o in铆cio e proporciona um bom entretenimento e algumas reflex玫es interessantes.
Chegada 脿 parte das estrelitas fiquei um pouco indecisa, mas tendo em conta as pontua莽玫es que dei a outras obras do autor que me encheram mais as medidas, decidi-me pelas 3*. Mas n茫o s茫o tr锚s estrelas de um "nim", s茫o tr锚s estrelas de sim, gostei e recomendo.
Karakteristik bir Saramago kitab谋 daha. Bir kere karanl谋k ve karamsar. okumak ve anlamak i莽in vakit ay谋rmak ve 眉st眉nde d眉艧眉nmek gerekiyor. Bu y枚n眉yle bir felsefe kitab谋. Kitap boyunca baz谋 meseleleri a莽谋k a莽谋k tart谋艧谋yor yazar. Karakterler oturup konular 眉zerinde felsefik tart谋艧malar yap谋yor. Sa莽ma sapan ki艧isel geli艧im kitaplar谋 okumaya bu y枚n眉yle de gerek yok. 脟ok dolu ve 莽ok a臒谋r bir kitap. Ama sonunda buna de臒iyor.
Bir apartman. Ve apartmanda ya艧ayan insanlarn birbiriyle olan enteresan ili艧kileri. 莽ok be臒endim ve keyifle okudum.
Not: 艦imdi efenim, sonradan yapt谋臒谋m ara艧trmalara gore bu kitap sevgili Saramago'nun ilk kiab谋ym谋艧. 30'lu ya艧larda bu kitab谋 yaz谋p bir yay谋n evine yay谋nlanmas谋 i莽in g枚ndermi艧. Ancak aradan 莽ok uzun zaman ge莽mesine ragmen yay谋n evi red cevab谋 bile g枚ndermemi艧. 陌lgilenmemi艧 anlayaca臒谋n谋z. Aradan y谋llar ge莽ipte Saramago me艧hur ve kendini kan谋tlam艧 bir yazar oldu臒unda tarihin tozlu raflar谋nda, o yay谋n evinin bir 莽al谋艧an谋 bu kitab谋 bulur. Hemen yaynlamak isterler elbette ancak bu seferde Saramago raz谋 olmaz. ve kitap Saramago hakk谋n rahmetine kavu艧ana kadar yaynlanamaz. Ancak Saramago'nun vefat谋n谋n ard谋ndan e艧i bu kitab谋n yay谋nlanmas谋na izin verir. (Bu bir 莽e艧it ihanet midir de臒il midir bilemedim 艧imdi) Anlayaca臒谋n谋z Saramago'nun yazd谋臒谋 ilk ve yay谋nlanan son kitab谋 "脟at谋daki Pencere".
"Vivo assim porque quero. Vivo assim porque n茫o quero viver de outro modo. A vida como os outros a entendem n茫o tem valor para mim. N茫o gosto de ser agarrado e a vida 茅 um polvo de muitos tent谩culos. Um s贸, basta para prender um homem. Quando me sinto preso, corto o tent谩culo. 脌s vezes, faz doer, mas n茫o h谩 outro rem茅dio. Compreende? Que a vida tem muitos tent谩culos, como disse h谩 bocado. E, por mais que se cortem, h谩 sempre um que fica e esse acaba por agarrar. Comece a viver assim por capricho, continuei por convic莽茫o e continuo por curiosidade."
"Ter n茫o 茅 possuir."
" Aprendi que a vida de cada um de n贸s deve ser orientada por essa esperan莽a e por esse ideal. E que se h谩 gente que n茫o sente assim, 茅 porque morreu antes de nascer."
""Queriam-me casado, f煤til e tribut谩vel?", perguntara o Fernando Pessoa. "脡 isto o que a vida quer de toda a gente?", perguntava Abel."
""Mas o sentido oculto da vida 茅 n茫o ter a vida sentido oculto nenhum." Abel conhecia a poesia de Pessoa."
"Todos nos encontramos no infinito, no infinito da estupidez, da apatia, do marasmo."
"A vida n茫o vale mais do que duas l谩grimas."
"Achava tudo divertido, e via as pessoas e as coisas como se as estivesse vendo pela primeira vez, como se tivesse recuperado a vista ap贸s muitos anos de cegueira."
"Toda a gente quer salvar o Homem, ningu茅m quer saber dos homens."
"Sou apenas um homem que pensa."
"Tudo o que n茫o for constru铆do sobre o amor gerar谩 o 贸dio!"
"O dia em que ser谩 poss铆vel construir sobre o amor n茫o chegou ainda."
Este livro fez-me e faz-me reflectir sobre a vida. Como a vivemos? O que queremos dela? O que ela quer de n贸s? Enfim, todas aquelas quest玫es que nos assolam todos os dias. A hist贸ria aqui descrita parece banal, mon贸tona, mas quem 茅 que quer saber da vida de alguns inquilinos de um pr茅dio, nos anos 50?! No entanto, 茅 apresentada uma pan贸plia de personagens riqu铆ssimas, que parecem desinteressantes mas n茫o o s茫o, de todo! E representam o dia-a-dia, comum, de uma classe oper谩ria, pobre, oprimida, revolucion谩ria, com sonhos e ambi莽玫es, ... numa realidade muito actual.
Mais do que a opini茫o, escrevi as passagens que mais me marcaram e me fizeram gostar tanto deste livro.
There was a lot of talk about this book when it was published after Saramago鈥檚 death in 2011. Saramago sent this book to the publisher in 1953, was lost, then found 36 years later. Saramago asked not to publish it until after his death. The forward was written by his wife and translator, Pilar del R铆o. I was pleased to find a Spanish copy in CDMX in 2018.
It鈥檚 a funny thing to read now. I have read most of Saramago鈥檚 work, so I am familiar with his styles. But why did he ask not to publish this work until he died? That cloud hung over the book while I read.
It is an early work so his style was not defined, although one can say some of what was to come was in this book. It鈥檚 funny, I noticed on one of the main character鈥檚 dissertation on 鈥渓ove鈥� two words popped out: blindness and gospels (evang茅licos). Hmm? Am I reading in too much?
Also, I had this strong tendency to guess one of the characters was a 鈥淪aramago鈥� person. I was pleasantly wrong. His character development was there. His women are strong, not submissive. His men are strong, stubborn, challenged, and some are just searching. His political, religious, and social aspect is there as well. So a good mix.
This lends itself well to the exploration of the theme, a group of people in one building with their everyday issues, passions and troubles, all living under the 鈥淪kylight.鈥� Love is the central theme with its various facets: sexual, passion, family, forbidden, and of course, betrayal.
I will admit at first, I thought 鈥渨here is this going?鈥� Kind of a soap opera at times, kind of a romance, and yet, it did evolve into a decent story. He asks questions and seeds some answers. For a young writer, this was promising. He even tries to tackle the big themes of love and family and what are we searching for? Maybe a little too lofty but as we all know, he certainly developed his art in his other works.
So, in short, it turned out to be a mixed but positive read.