The Notebook

"The Notebook records a year in the life of Jose Saramago, beginning on the eve of the 2008 US presidential election. In these pages, he evokes life in his beloved city of Lisbon, revisits conversations with friends, and meditates on his favorite authors. Precise observations and moments of arresting significance are rendered with pointillist detail, and together demonstrate an acute understanding of our times. Characteristically critical and uncompromising, Saramago dissects the financial crisis, deplores Israel's bombardment of Gaza, traces the ongoing inquiry into the execution of the Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes on the London Underground, and charts the transition from the era of George W. Bush to that of Barack Obama." "Available for the first time in English, The Notebook offers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of the most original writers of our era." --Book Jacket.