He promised a Franciscan monk that he would build the Memorial of the Convent to God if he and his wife were blessed with a child.
The actual construction of the convent and palace of Mafra near Lisbon was ordered by King João V during the early 18th century. Historicity blends with fantasy and romance in the novel, called a “romance” in the Portuguese. Saramago experimented with his distinctive blend of dialogue, description, and commentary in densely packed yet fl owing text.
His unique narrative style established the groundwork for his later novels. History, fantasy, romance, and Saramago’s distinctive critique of social inequities converge in this multifaceted literary work. José Saramago was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1998. The historical novel was translated from the Portuguese into English by Giovanni Pontiero in 1986. The novel Baltasar and Blimunda, written in 1984, advanced José Saramago (1922–2010) from national popularity to international recognition. Hailed by USA Today as "an unexpected gem," Baltasar and Blimunda is a captivating literary tour de force, full of magic and adventure, exquisite historical detail, and the power of both human folly and human will.Analysis of José Saramago’s Baltasar and Blimunda
Weaving together multiple storylines to present both breathtaking fiction and incisive commentary, renowned Portuguese writer and winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature, José Saramago spins an epic and captivating yarn, equal parts historical fiction, political satire, religious criticism, and whimsical romance. Meanwhile, amid the fires and horrors of the Inquisition, angry crowds and abused peasants rejoice in spectacles of cruelty, from bullfighting to auto-da-fe disgraced priests openly flout God's laws and chaos reigns over a society on the brink of disaster. A young couple, brought together by chance, live out a sweet, if tormented, romance. A lonely priest works in maniacal solitude on his Passarola, a heretical flying machine he hopes will allow him to soar far from the madness surrounding him. The Portuguese king promises the greedy prelates of the Church an expansive new convent, should they intercede with God to give him an heir. "A romance and an adventure, a rumination on royalty and religion in 18th-century Portugal and a bitterly ironic comment on the uses of power." - The New York Times
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