José Saramago’s first novel will be published in Spanish on the occasion of its centenary

So far only available in Portuguese, the first novel by the writer Jose Saramago It was published in Spanish to mark the beginning of the celebrations for the centenary of the birth of the Portuguese Nobel Prize winner.

The publication of this book, also with its original title The widow since in Portugal it bore the name Land of sin by decision of the editor, it is “an act of justice and historical memory”, explained this Wednesday at a press conference in Madrid Pilar del Río, the widow of Saramago.

“He let them change his title, of course he did not sign a contract, he did not receive a shield (currency) of the time, but he was happy because he had his book published” at 24, continued the also president of the José Saramago Foundation about the book that saw the light of day in 1947.

A story about a widow and mother of two who keeps her wish intact, it was written by a young man who “It took the first step on the way to the Nobel (…) and is part of the complete work of the writer, therefore it has to be published”, estimated Carlos Reis, curator in charge of the activities for the centenary of Saramago (1922-2010).

The widow is published by Alfaguara, which plans to reissue between January and June of next year the entire Saramago collection with a new and sober design signed by the Spanish Manuel Estrada.

In life, the author of The Gospel according to Jesus Christ, Essay on Blindness O The duplicate man he was very critical of his first novel, especially with the title imposed by the publisher.

“This novel is of youth and completely different from what (the writer) is going to be later, and Saramago said:” It introduces confusion and it is not worth so much, there is (having) so much interesting book to read ‘”, remembered Pilar del Río.

“That it should go unnoticed was the logical thing to do, (Saramago) couldn’t wait for many comments; the problem was when the next novel had no answer “ publishers and thought he had no “Nothing to say and he devoted himself to other jobs and for 20 years he did not write again”he continued.

The widow It will be reissued in Portuguese with its original title. It will also be published in Italian and predictably in other languages, detailed Pilar del Río.

The celebrations for the centenary of Saramago will begin next November and will last for a year, and will include academic meetings, exhibitions, concerts and plays, both in Portugal and Spain, as in Brazil and other Latin American countries.

In Lanzarote, an island in the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands where the writer spent his last decades and died in 2010, he will open an exhibition of photos of Saramago on November 2, added Pilar del Río. (I)