philosophical novel
Philosophical fiction refers to the class of works of fiction which devote a significant portion of their content to the sort of questions normally addressed in philosophy. These might explore any facet of the human condition, including the funct ...
by Swiss writer Pascal Mercier. It recounts the travels of Swiss Classics instructor Raimund Gregorius as he explores the life of Amadeu de Prado, a Portuguese doctor, during
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar (, , ; 28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese dictator who served as President of the Council of Ministers from 1932 to 1968. Having come to power under the ("National Dictatorship"), he reframed the re ...
's right-wing dictatorship in Portugal. Prado is a serious thinker whose active mind becomes evident in a series of his notes collected and read by Gregorius.
The book was originally published in German as ''Nachtzug nach Lissabon'' in 2004 and was first published in English in 2008. The novel became an international bestseller. Danish film director
Bille August
Bille August (born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. In a career spanning over four decades, he has been the recipient of numerous accolades, making him one of the most acclaimed co ...
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...
Raimund "Mundus" Gregorius, 57 years old, is a teacher at a Swiss gymnasium in modern-day
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
. He is an expert in ancient languages (ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew) and a man very comfortable in his routine. One morning on his way to work, he saves a mysterious Portuguese woman from what he assumes is a suicide attempt. Although the woman disappears shortly afterwards, their chance-encounter marks the beginning of Raimund's journey. Later that day, he visits an antiquarian bookshop where he discovers ''Um ourives das palavras'' (A Goldsmith of Words, this may refer to
Gil Vicente
Gil Vicente (; c. 1465c. 1536), called the Trobadour, was a Portuguese playwright and poet who acted in and directed his own plays. Considered the chief dramatist of Portugal he is sometimes called the "Portuguese Plautus," often ref ...
, a formidable playwright and poet of the Portuguese Renaissance who had possibly been a goldsmith), a book by Amadeu de Prado. The author ponders the philosophical issue of going back in time and making various different choices, resulting in a completely different life. Raimund is immediately intrigued by the author's somber musings. The book is in Portuguese, a language Raimund doesn't speak, so he begins translating with the help of a dictionary. Sensing a kindred spirit in Amadeu, he is suddenly gripped by the fear of not living his life to its full potential. The next morning, he abandons his teaching position, turns his back on Bern and sets out for Lisbon. There, he begins investigating the fate of the Prado family.
Amadeu de Prado is a doctor during the Salazar Dictatorship (1928–1974). He has an expressed interest in literature and begins questioning his world, his experiences and the words contained in conversation and written thought. His life and thoughts are strongly influenced by living under an oppressive regime, relying heavily upon a brutal secret police force, the
PIDE
The International and State Defense Police ( pt, Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado; PIDE) was a Portuguese security agency that existed during the '' Estado Novo'' regime of António de Oliveira Salazar. Formally, the main roles of th ...
. Maria João Ávila, a girl he adores since childhood, seems to be the only person Amadeu can relate to. His father, a stern man and a judge loyal to the government, later crumbles under the pressure of his conscience and commits suicide. Amadeu, who is by now an accomplished and well-liked doctor, saves the life of Mendez, the "Butcher of Lisbon" and Chief of Secret Police. In the public eye, Amadeu's actions mark him down as a traitor, resulting in him being shunned and secretly joining the resistance to ease his conscience. After his premature death due to an
aneurysm
An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus ( ...
, Amadeu's notes and journal entries are edited and published by his sister Adriana. She owes her life to Amadeu and religiously devotes her energy to preserving her brother's legacy.
During his stay in Lisbon, Raimund meets the ophthalmologist Mariana Eça. She prescribes him new glasses when he breaks his old ones in an accident. Mariana's uncle, João Eça, was a member of the resistance. Raimund visits him several times to talk about Amadeu.
Raimund also manages to track down Jorge O'Kelly, a pharmacy owner and Amadeu's best friend who helped him join the resistance, and Estefânia Espinhosa, a woman with an exceptional memory. Amadeu was in love with her, even though she was Jorge's girlfriend at the time. She later fled the country and became a professor of history at the
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is t ...
.
The story ends with Raimund returning to Bern. Raimund, who has been suffering from spells of dizziness for a while now, submits himself to a physical exam.
Themes
''Night Train to Lisbon'' spends considerable time contemplating ideas, exploring on one hand Gregorious' contemplation of self and the other de Prado's journal and philosophies. (Accessed in NewsBank Database (Requires subscription))Epigraphs include Michel de Montaigne, ''Essais'', Second Book, I, “De l’inconstance de nos actions” and Fernando Pessoa, ''Livro do Desassossego'' (Portuguese: ''Book of Disquiet/Restlessness'').
Mercier uses various activities and subthemes to help explore these deep, self-reflective subjects including "night journeys, insomnia and dream-filled sleep, of being stuck in place yet somehow adrift, and confusion about life's purpose." With this introspective approach, Mercier is able to review concepts of "who we are, how we control our experience of life, and how fragile that construction is." (Accessed on NewsBank database (Subscription required)
Style
Like the depiction of the city of Lisbon as mysterious and intricate, the text of ''Night Train to Lisbon'' is intricate and complicated, sometimes withholding information from the reader. Multiple reviewers also pointed to the thriller qualities the novel takes on despite the philosophical focus of the themes.
Critical reception
Anne Phillips in ''
The News-Gazette
''The News-Gazette'' may refer to:
* ''The News-Gazette'' (Champaign–Urbana), a daily newspaper serving the Champaign–Urbana Metropolitan Area and Danville, Illinois
* ''The News-Gazette'' (Winchester, Indiana), a daily newspaper based in W ...
'' noted that ''Night Train to Lisbon'' was "reminiscent of
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Carlos Ruiz Zafón (; 25 September 1964 – 19 June 2020) was a Spanish novelist known for his 2001 novel ''La sombra del viento'' (''The Shadow of the Wind'').
Biography
Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona. His grandparents had worked in a fa ...
's ''
The Shadow of the Wind
''The Shadow of the Wind'' ( es, La sombra del viento) is a 2001 novel by the Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón and a worldwide bestseller. The book was translated into English in 2004 by Lucia Graves and sold over a million copies in the UK af ...
''" and commented that "mystery romance and political intrigue" keep the pages turning. (Accessed in NewsBank database (Requires subscription)) Robert Moyle of the ''Herald Sun'' also points out how engaging ''Night Train to Lisbon'' is, pointing out how easy it is for the reader to identify with Gregorius. Daniel Johnson of ''The Telegraph'' placed Mercier, with this novel, amongst the best European novelists alive.
Translations
Iranian writer
Mahshid Mirmoezzi
Mahshid Mirmoezzi ( fa, مهشید میرمعزی) is an Iranian translator from the German language. She has translated over 40 works into the Persian language. She has received several prizes, including the Parvin Award for her translation of ...
translated the book into Persian, with its release in April 2013. Iran does not recognize various international copyright accords, but Mirmoezzi received permission from the author before she translated it. She won the Parvin Award for her translation.
Film adaptation
Danish film director
Bille August
Bille August (born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. In a career spanning over four decades, he has been the recipient of numerous accolades, making him one of the most acclaimed co ...
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...
Legislative Yuan
The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for 4-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a parallel v ...
was sprayed with a quote from the work, "when dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a duty."