The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis - NOBEL PRIZE

Jose Saramago

Published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, San Diego, 1991

About this Item

IMPORTANCE Recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature. The greatest of the acclaimed Portuguese writer's novels. The renowned and highly influential literary critic Harold Bloom described Saramago in 2002 as "the greatest living novelist" and a "permanent part of the Western canon." Characteristic of Reis's work, the work blurs the boundaries between fiction and reality while rejecting the limitations of traditional narrative practices and punctuation. The novel is filled with plot digressions and the prose overflows with lyrical intensity in the form of paragraphs often filling several pages. Ultimately, the novel is a story of one man's attempt to resist any sort of cultural contextualization and to reject any place in society whatsoever. Condition: VG+/NF to FINE ABOUT THE BOOK Flat-signed in pen on the half-title and dated "29-7-99" by the author. Published in 1991 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in San Diego, California. Translated from Portuguese into English by Giovanni Pontiero. First US edition, first printing as denoted by the "First United States edition" statement and complete A-E number line on the copyright page. In its original 1/4 black cloth over blue paper covered boards. In its first state dust jacket with "21.95" front flap price. Octavo, 358 pp. NOVEL SYNOPSIS The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis (in Portuguese: O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis) chronicles the final year in the life of the title character, Ricardo Reis, one of the many heteronyms used by the Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa.In the novel, Ricardo Reis returns to Lisbon from Brazil, upon catching wind of Pessoa's death. While there, he chooses not to resume practicing medicine, but rather takes up residence in a hotel, where he wastes his days reading newspapers and wandering the streets of Lisbon. ABOUT THE AUTHOR José de Sousa Saramago (1922 ? 2010) was an acclaimed Portuguese writer. He was the recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the theopoetic human factor. His work has been translated into 25 languages and has won many international awards.Saramago did not achieve widespread recognition and acclaim until he was sixty, with the publication of his fourth novel,Memorial do Convento(1982).Following acclaimed novels such as The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis and The History of the Siege of Lisbon, Saramago was hailed by literary critics for his complex yet elegant style, his broad range of references and his wit. CONDITION REPORT The book is in about VERY GOOD+ condition. Firm binding. Colorful, fresh boards. Spot of soiling at foot of fore-edge and abrasion to front pastedown. One corner bumped which has slightly pushed in and bent adjacent page corners else NEAR FINE. Clean and bright interior with no writing, foxing or ex libris marks. The dust jacket is NEAR FINE or better. Colorful and glossy with no rips, tears or chipping. Some rubbing before it was placed in an archival mylar wrap. A nice, signed collectible copy of the Nobel Prize-winning author's most acclaimed title.

Seller Inventory # 261

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis - NOBEL PRIZE
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, San Diego
• Publication Date: 1991
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st US Edition.
• Condition: VG+
• Dust Jacket Condition: NF to FINE
• Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Signed: Flat-signed and dated by author on half-title.
• Seller catalogs:
  • Literature
  • Autographs & Signed Books
  • Modern