''Baltasar and Blimunda'' () is a 1982

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

by the Portuguese author

José Saramago José de Sousa Saramago (; 16 November 1922 – 18 June 2010) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese writer. He was the recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony ith which ...

. It was Saramago's international breakthrough and won him the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Plot

The novel is an 18th-century love story intertwined with the construction of the Convent of Mafra, now one of Portugal's chief tourist attractions, as a background. Two young lovers interact naturally with historical characters including the composer and harpsichordist Domenico Scarlatti and the priest

Bartolomeu de Gusmão Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão (December 1685 – 18 November 1724) was a Portuguese priest and naturalist from Colonial Brazil who was a pioneer of lighter-than-air aerostat design, being among the first scholars at that time to understand the ...

, recognized today as an aviation pioneer, and also a wide range of workers and other characters, all in the shadow of the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

Literary style and themes

The novel mixes historicity with fantasy, romance and critique of social inequeties. Saramago's narrative style blends dialogue, description and commentary in a dense and multifaceted text. The novel has been described as a mix of

magical realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...

and neorealism. It deals with themes found in all societies and cultures: the dynamics of power, wealth and politics, and is also a love story. Saramago has said that with his fictional portrayal of the peasant workers who built Convent of Mafra and other characters in the novel he wanted to depict people who are never mentioned in history. The construction of an aviation machine is an integral part of the novel, and when finished it allegorically lifts the lovers out of reach of the injusticies and the Inquisition.

Adaptation

The book served as the basis for the opera ''Blimunda'' (1990), composed by

Azio Corghi Azio Corghi (9 March 1937 – 17 November 2022) was an Italian composer, academic teacher and musicologist. He composed mostly operas and chamber music. His operas are often based on literature, especially in collaboration with José Saramago a ...

Critical reception

"Much reverberates in memory after reading this enchanting novel, but most of all the love story which soars over the rest of the action like a flute across a heavy orchestra. Mr. Saramago, a writer of sharp intelligence, keeps this love story under strict control, free of pathos or sentimentality. It is a love of, and on, this earth." –

Irving Howe Irving Howe (né Horenstein; ; June 11, 1920 – May 5, 1993) was an American author, literary and social critic, and a key figure in the democratic socialist movement in the U.S. He co-founded and served as longtime editor of ''Dissent'' ma ...

in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 1987.''The New York Times'' review of ''Baltasar and Blimunda''
by

References

External links

''The New York Times'' review of ''Baltasar and Blimunda''
by

''Los Angeles Times'' review of ''Baltasar and Blimunda''
by

Richard Eder Richard Gray Eder (August 16, 1932 – November 21, 2014) was an American film reviewer and a drama critic. Life and career For 20 years, he was variously a foreign correspondent, a film reviewer and the drama critic for ''The New York Times''. ...

Excerpt from ''Baltasar and Blimunda''
at nobelprize.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Baltasar And Blimunda Novels by José Saramago 1987 novels 20th-century Portuguese novels Novels set in the 18th century Novels set in Portugal Novels about the Inquisition Fictional Portuguese people