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Small Memories
Small Memories | Jos Saramago
9 posts | 5 read | 3 to read
Jos 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 Jos. 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 authors boyhood: the tragic death of his older brother at the age of four; his mother pawning the familys 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 Saramagos 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 Molire. Written with Saramagos 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 worlds most respected writers.
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GatheringBooks
GatheringBooks
Small Memories | Jos Saramago
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#ARichLife Day 28: Lots of #Bread paired with Saramago‘s novel as I was on my way to Lisbon last year. Posting in advance as I will be traveling in two days‘ time.

tagged users iconEggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
ChaoticMissAdventures I was just looking through his books to see what I have not read. Excited to see what you think of this, it wasn't on my radar. 1mo
BookishMarginalia Love the pic! 1mo
Eggs Sounds charming 📖 1mo
TieDyeDude I've only read two Saramago books, but I consider him one of my favorite authors 😋 I'll be interested to see what you think of this 1mo
44 likes4 comments
review
Hooked_on_books
Hooked_on_books
Small Memories | Jos Saramago
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Pickpick

I‘m not usually a fan of childhood memoir, but I enjoyed this look back at Saramago‘s young years. Around 100 years ago in Portugal is so different from my own experience, and he tells vignettes, giving an overall impression rather than a straightforward recounting. His writing is just so good that I was carried along.

ChaoticMissAdventures I have not read this one but I absolutely love Jose Saramago. Brilliant writer. 5mo
Hooked_on_books @ChaoticMissAdventures I‘ve only read a few of his but definitely want to read more. The first I read from him is Blindness, which blew my socks off. I want to read anything that came out of that brain! 5mo
ChaoticMissAdventures @Hooked_on_books so good!! I have not read all of his (I think I have 3 to go) but this one is my favorite
[tagged book]Death with Interruptions
5mo
Hooked_on_books @ChaoticMissAdventures One of the few that I‘ve read! It‘s so good! 5mo
48 likes4 comments
blurb
Cinfhen
Cinfhen
Small Memories | Jos Saramago
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Thank you to @Hooked_on_books for recommending Jose Saramago for my #ReadingEurope2020 challenge #Portugal. I “spent” 2 Hoopla credits for this one! The Lizard at only 20 pages (and 7 of them being illustrations) seemed like a cheat so I downloaded Small Memories as well. Let me say, this author has a real liking for flowery run-on sentences...I enjoyed the first 70 pages but eventually I gave up on this book too. Im calling quits on Portugal😜

tagged users iconLibrarybelle, BarbaraBB
Librarybelle Haha! I bought this one on Book Outlet for Portugal...I hope I have good success in it and don‘t need to bail (haven‘t started it yet)...
[tagged book]The Last Day: Wrath, Ruin, and Reason in the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755
6y
jenniferw88 I'd say The Lizard counts! 6y
Cinfhen Thanks @jenniferw88 I TOTALLY AGREE with you 😘😘Two Hoopla credits shows a real dedication 6y
See All 13 Comments
Cinfhen I‘ll be curious to hear about your book @Librarybelle although between all my half read books I feel like I got a good picture of Portugal already 😉 (edited) 6y
BarbaraBB Lol, real dedication indeed! Well done ❤️ 6y
Redwritinghood Love Saramago. One of my favorite authors. 6y
Cinfhen I‘m claiming Portugal @BarbaraBB ✅I really want to read Blindness but maybe at a later date @Redwritinghood 😁 6y
BookishTrish @Redwritinghood me too! If you want to give Portugal another shot maybe try
[tagged book]The Golden City
6y
BookishTrish Or
[tagged book]The Illustrious House of Ramires
6y
BarbaraBB Blindness is fantastic! Maybe not right now though 😉 6y
Cinfhen Thanks for the book recommendations @BookishTrish ♥️ 6y
Hooked_on_books You can always count The Lizard! 😆🦎 Oh well, you tried. 6y
Cinfhen Oh, I‘m counting The Lizard 🦎 @Hooked_on_books 😂😂😜 6y
68 likes13 comments
review
Bookwomble
Bookwomble
Small Memories | Jos Saramago
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Pickpick

Small memories because they are of his childhood and adolescence, and also because they are not momentous, other than in a personal way. However, Saramago uses these small memories to reflect (however briefly) upon the nature of memory and subjective reality, and of how seemingly trivial incidents in early life have significant repercussions for the adults we become. 👇🏻👇🏻

Bookwomble The short reflections on sexual awakening, of his drunken aunt's onanism, and of his sexualized torture by a group of older boys (uncomfortably reminicent of the tragic case of Jamie Bulger) make this for the slightly older reader, though I would stress that the details are not overly graphic nor at all lurid. Mostly, this is a wistful remembrance of childhood and of the inevitable passage of time. 7y
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 7y
Bookwomble @TrishB Thanks 😊 7y
16 likes3 comments
quote
Bookwomble
Bookwomble
Small Memories | Jos Saramago
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"I don't think there is a deeper silence in the world than the silence of water."

12 likes
blurb
Bookwomble
Bookwomble
Small Memories | Jos Saramago
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Thank goodness! After two misfires, something I can settle down with 😊

DivineDiana 👏🏻📚👏🏻 7y
12 likes1 comment
blurb
Bookwomble
Bookwomble
Small Memories | Jos Saramago
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How far wrong can I go with a book of childhood memoirs by a Nobel Prize for Literature winner? Fingers crossed that the third book's the charm! 🤞🏻

Weaponxgirl Good luck! I'm having a bad book mood too atm. Hoping this one kicked the trend for you 7y
15 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
ItsBookOClock
ItsBookOClock
Small Memories | Jos Saramago
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Mehso-so

In this work, "Pequenas Memórias", José Saramago brings us a piece of his young himself.
In spite of his characteristic and pleasurable prose, and due to an intentional rigor non chronological, I missed a leading thread in the author's memories. #josesaramago #portugueseauthors #nobelprize #bookreview #smallnemories

6 likes
blurb
ItsBookOClock
ItsBookOClock
Small Memories | Jos Saramago

I'm almost finishing this book. What book do you recommend to read next?

5 likes1 comment