Summary of The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
“The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis” follows the final year in the life of Dr. Ricardo Reis, an imaginary character originally created by Fernando Pessoa. In Saramago’s novel, Ricardo Reis returns from Brazil to Lisbon, hoping for a fresh start in life. Instead, he spends his days aimlessly wandering the streets, reading newspapers, and conversing with the ghost of his deceased friend, Fernando Pessoa. He falls in love with a beautiful young woman yet at the same time has an affair with his chambermaid. The novel is set in the 1930s, against the backdrop of an impoverished Lisbon under the authoritarian Salazar regime.
Reasons to read The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
“The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis” is often regarded as Saramago’s masterpiece. It is a richly imaginative novel about human relationships and unfulfilled dreams. José Saramago was one of the most distinguished Portuguese writers of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998 and the Camões Prize – the most prestigious award in Portuguese literature – in 1995. Other notable works by Saramago include “Baltasar and Blimunda”, “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ”, and “Blindness”.
Setting: Lisbon (Portugal)
Original title: O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis
Year of publication: 1984
Nr of pages: 368
