I think the novel is not so much a literary genre, but a literary space, like a sea that is filled by many rivers. The novel receives streams of science, philosophy, poetry and contains all of these; it's not simply telling a story. Jose Saramago fillgenreliterary share on social
Being fired was the best luck of my life. It made me stop and reflect. It was the birth of my life as a writer. Jose Saramago birthfirelife Change image and share on social
Death is present every day in our lives. It's not that I take pleasure in the morbid fascination of it, but it is a fact of life. Jose Saramago daydeathfact Change image and share on social
The period that I could consider the most important in my literary work came about beginning with the Revolution, and in a certain way, developed as a consequence of the Revolution. But it was also a result of the counterrevolutionary coup of November 1975. Jose Saramago beginconsequencecounterrevolutionary share on social
I had no books at home. I started to frequent a public library in Lisbon. It was there, with no help except curiosity and the will to learn, that my taste for reading developed and was refined. Jose Saramago bookcuriositydevelop Change image and share on social
For me, writing is a job. I do not separate the work from the act of writing like two things that have nothing to do with each other. I arrange words one after another, or one in front of another, to tell a story, to say something that I consider important or useful, or at least important or useful to me. Jose Saramago actarrangefront share on social
The painter paints, the musician makes music, the novelist writes novels. But I believe that we all have some influence, not because of the fact that one is an artist, but because we are citizens. Jose Saramago artistcitizenfact Change image and share on social
I am a better novelist than a poet, playwright, or essayist. Jose Saramago essayistnovelistplaywright Change image and share on social
Society has to change, but the political powers we have at the moment are not enough to effect this change. The whole democratic system would have to be rethought. Jose Saramago changedemocraticeffect Change image and share on social
Inside us there is something that has no name, that something is what we are. Jose Saramago inside Change image and share on social