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JosE Saramago[zhOOze´ sAr´´AmA´gOO] Pronunciation Key, 1922–, Portuguese novelist and short-story writer. A Communist, Saramago was essentially a journalist until the revolution of 1974. Often employing paradox and irony, much of his work provides a Portuguese view of Iberian history, blending historical events with mythical and allegorical elements. Saramago's protagonists are often portrayed resisting some kind of stifling and dehumanizing social institution. His novels include Levantado do chAo [raised from the floor] (1980); Memorial do convento (1982; tr. Baltasar and Blimunda, 1987), the work that first brought him international acclaim; O ano da morte de Ricardo Reis (1984; tr. The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, 1990); A jangada de pedra (1986; tr. The Stone Raft, 1995); O evangelho segundo Jesus Cristo (1991; tr. The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, 1994); Ensaio sobre a cegueira (1995; tr. Blindness, 1998); Todos os nomes (1997; tr. All the Names, 1999); and A Caverna (2000; tr. The Cave, 2002). He has also written poetry, essays, plays, and a journal. Saramago was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998.
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