Publication
Vintage (2012), 386 pagina's
ISBN
9781409027799
Language
Collection
Description
"First published in 1980, the City of Lisbon Prize-winning Raised from the Ground follows the changing fortunes of the Mau Tempo family-poor landless peasants not unlike Saramago's own grandparents. Set in Alentejo, a southern province of Portugal known for its vast agricultural estates, the novel charts the lives of the Mau Tempos as national and international events rumble on in the background-the coming of the republic in Portugual, the two World Wars, and an attempt on the dictator Salazar's life. Yet nothing really impinges on the grim reality of the farm laborers' lives until the first communist stirrings"--Publisher's information.
User reviews
LibraryThing member michaelbartley
I am writing this review at 4 AM so please forgive any strange words or lack of insights. the novel covers 3 generations that struggle each day. set in his land Portugal Saramago explores the flow of history how it affects each common life and how it matters little. Saramago is very polictal with a
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great compassion for those at bottom of society. very powerful novel Show Less
LibraryThing member lschiff
I was quite disappointed by this book. The narrative sections beautifully and powerfully convey the exploitation of the latifundia system, but the many, often lengthy, expository passages are heavy-handed rants that undercut the impact of the story..
Original publication date
1980
2012 (English translation)