Journey to Portugal - Panther S.

Publisher and industry reviews

Jacket review

"I'm hard pressed to think of another writer who makes me stop as Saramago does, to go back and discover the meaning of history or allegory in all its wild newness" Julian Evans, Financial Times; "None but Saramago could produce travel writing like this" Henry Sheen, New Statesman

UK Kirkus review

This vivid and authentic travel book demonstrates Saramagos total understanding of the Portuguese character, which has allowed him to create a truly astonishing picture of the search for a countrys heart. From the mountains of the north to the sultry seas of the Algarve, the Nobel Prize-winning author takes us on a voyage of rediscovery. As he re-encounters his own land (in his veteran automobile) we are allowed insights that few non-Portuguese writers could provide. Again and again, incidents from the bizarre to the entertainingly banal illustrate the quirks of the national character and make for delightful reading. We are shown a land on the brink of modernity, still clinging passionately to the past but tipping into the new age. There are no conventional sights here: we are more likely to be taken into a cobweb-festooned chapel than to a cosy bistro. But as an introduction to his countrys history, as much as its topography, this is splendid stuff. The translation by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson is also excellent: too often, pedestrian translations torpedo idiomatic foreign writing, but here the poetically wrought English prose is one of the principal pleasures afforded by the book. Readers will be keen for more from the talented Saramago. (Kirkus UK)

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