The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago
Solomon the elephant's life is about to be upturned. For two years he has been in Lisbon, brought from the Portuguese colonies in India. Now King Dom João III wishes to make him a wedding gift for the Hapsburg archduke, Maximilian. It's a nice idea, since it avoids the Portuguese king offending his Lutheran cousin with an overtly Catholic present. But it means the poor pachyderm must travel from Lisbon to Vienna on foot - the only option when transporting a large animal such a long way. So begins a journey that will take the stalwart Solomon across the dusty plains of Castile, over the sea to Genoa and up to northern Italy where, like Hannibal's elephants before him, he must cross the snowy Alps. Accompanying him is his quiet keeper, Subhro, who watches while - at every place they stop - people try to turn Solomon into something he is not. From worker of holy miracles to umbrella stand, the unassuming elephant suffers the many attempts of humans to impose meaning on what they don't understand. Saramago's latest novel is an enchanting mix of fact (an Indian elephant really did make this journey in 1551), fable and fantasy. Filled with wonderful landscapes and local colour, peppered with witty reflection on human failings and achievements, it is, in the end, about the journey of life itself.
A novel of wit, warmth, and wonderJosé Saramago once again shows why he's a master storyteller. * Yann Martel *
It is extremely funny. Old Saramago writes with a masterfully light hand, and the humour is tender, a mockery so tempered by patience and pity that the sting is gone though the wit remains vital... a series of contained miracles of absurdity, quiet laughter riseing out of a profound, resigned, affectionate wisdom. -- Ursula K Le Guin * Guardian *
The novel has a charming fairy tale quality, with its kings and courtiers, its pachyderm protagonist and his mysterious mahout: this is among the most charming of Saramago's works. -- Michael Kerrigan * TLS *
It is extremely funny. Old Saramago writes with a masterfully light hand, and the humour is tender, a mockery so tempered by patience and pity that the sting is gone though the wit remains vital... a series of contained miracles of absurdity, quiet laughter riseing out of a profound, resigned, affectionate wisdom. -- Ursula K Le Guin * Guardian *
The novel has a charming fairy tale quality, with its kings and courtiers, its pachyderm protagonist and his mysterious mahout: this is among the most charming of Saramago's works. -- Michael Kerrigan * TLS *
José Saramago is one of the most important international writers of the last hundred years. Born in Portugal in 1922, he was in his sixties when he came to prominence as a writer with the publication of Baltasar and Blimunda. A huge body of work followed, translated into more than forty languages, and in 1998 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Saramago died in June 2010.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781846553608 |
| ISBN 10 | 1846553601 |
| Title | The Elephant's Journey |
| Author | José Saramago |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2010-08-05 |
| Number of pages | 208 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |