José Saramago was eighteen months old when he moved from the village of Azinhaga with his father and mother to live in Lisbon. But he would return to the village throughout his childhood and adolescence to stay with his maternal grandparents, illiterate peasants in the eyes of the outside world, but a fount of knowledge, affection, and authority to young José.
Shifting back and forth between childhood and his teenage years, between Azinhaga and Lisbon, this is a mosaic of memories, a simply told, affecting look back into the author's boyhood: the tragic death of his older brother at the age of four; his mother pawning the family's blankets every spring and buying them back in time for winter; his beloved grandparents bringing the weaker piglets into their bed on cold nights; and Saramago's early encounters with literature, from teaching himself to read by deciphering articles in the daily newspaper, to poring over an entertaining dialogue in a Portuguese-French conversation guide, not realizing that he was in fact reading a play by Molière.
Written with Saramago's characteristic wit and honesty, Small Memories traces the formation of an artist fascinated by words and stories from an early age and who emerged, against all odds, as one of the world's most respected writers.
Shifting back and forth between childhood and his teenage years, between Azinhaga and Lisbon, this is a mosaic of memories, a simply told, affecting look back into the author's boyhood: the tragic death of his older brother at the age of four; his mother pawning the family's blankets every spring and buying them back in time for winter; his beloved grandparents bringing the weaker piglets into their bed on cold nights; and Saramago's early encounters with literature, from teaching himself to read by deciphering articles in the daily newspaper, to poring over an entertaining dialogue in a Portuguese-French conversation guide, not realizing that he was in fact reading a play by Molière.
Written with Saramago's characteristic wit and honesty, Small Memories traces the formation of an artist fascinated by words and stories from an early age and who emerged, against all odds, as one of the world's most respected writers.
Used availability for José Saramago's Small Memories
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Hardback Editions
May 2011 : Hardback
| Title: Small Memories Author(s): Jose Saramago ISBN: 0-15-101508-2 / 978-0-15-101508-5 (USA edition) Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
November 2009 : Hardback
| Title: Small Memories Author(s): Jose Saramago ISBN: 1-84655-148-X / 9781846551482 (UK edition) Publisher: Harvill Secker Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Paperback Editions
May 2012 : Paperback
| Title: Small Memories Author(s): Jose Saramago ISBN: 0-547-75263-6 / 978-0-547-75263-1 (USA edition) Publisher: Mariner Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
October 2010 : Paperback
| Title: Small Memories Author(s): Jose Saramago ISBN: 0-09-952048-6 / 978-0-09-952048-1 (UK edition) Publisher: Vintage Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Other Editions
November 2009 : Kindle edition
| Title: Small Memories Author(s): Jose Saramago Publisher: Vintage Digital Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
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