Baltasar and Blimunda

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Ebook in EPUB format. Available for immediate download after we receive your order

DRM:
Watermark

Publication Year:
1998

ISBN-13: 9780547537177

<DIV><B>&ldquo;A romance and an adventure, a rumination on royalty and religion in 18th-century Portugal and a bitterly ironic comment on the uses of power.&rdquo; &mdash;<I>The New York Times</I></B><BR /><BR /> Portugal, 1711. The Portuguese king promises the greedy prelates of the Church an expansive new convent, should they intercede with God to give him an heir. A lonely priest works in maniacal solitude on his Passarola, a heretical flying machine he hopes will allow him to soar far from the madness surrounding him. A young couple, brought together by chance, live out a sweet, if tormented, romance. Meanwhile, amid the fires and horrors of the Inquisition, angry crowds and abused peasants rejoice in spectacles of cruelty, from bullfighting to auto-da-fe; disgraced priests openly flout God&rsquo;s laws; and chaos reigns over a society on the brink of disaster.<BR /> &#160;<BR /> Weaving together multiple storylines to present both breathtaking fiction and incisive commentary, renowned Portuguese writer and winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature, Jos&eacute; Saramago spins an epic and captivating yarn, equal parts historical fiction, political satire, religious criticism, and whimsical romance. Hailed by <I>USA Today</I> as &ldquo;an unexpected gem,&rdquo; <I>Baltasar and Blimunda</I> is a captivating literary tour de force, full of magic and adventure, exquisite historical detail, and the power of both human folly and human will.</DIV>