Jose Saramago wrote this book in 1953, thirty six years later a publisher got back to him to say the manuscript had been rediscovered. Set in Lisbon in the late 1940s, this feels like a time capsule. A young writer learning his craft looking at the world around him, now caught in the amber to be reflected on. The lives of ordinary people in one apartment block, their hidden desires and interactions. It is a simply written piece of social history - with added heart. Skylight by José Saramago is a story of life in 1940s Lisbon, focusing on the intertwining lives of the inhabitants of a block of apartments shortly after the war, showcasing the political turmoil, thinking, behavior, and humanity in Lisbon during this time period. As a side note, when the book was written in 1953, during the Salazar regime, and the publisher rejected it due to politics, which led to this book not being published in José Saramago’s lifetime, rather it was not published in his native Portuguese until 2011 and translated into English in 2014. Skylight is an exceptional work of literary fiction, a book that makes the reader think and offers up many life lessons, as well as entertaining, expertly written story which makes it quite easy for the reader to feel as though they know the residents in the apartment complex. The reader will meet an older couple, Silvestre and Mariana who take in a nomad and quickly the differences between the elderly couple and Abel become apparent. Adriana is turning into a budding young woman, Carmen moved to Lisbon to marry Emilio, yet dislikes Lisbon and longs for Manolo, and finally Lidia, a former working woman from the streets who is now the kept woman of wealthy Paulo. Saramago’s prose is exquisite allowing him to portray life in depth as he was viewing it at his time of writing. The reader will see the insecurities, foibles, and what makes up the human existence, including how joy and misery can be almost contagious. Skylight is a literary masterpiece and a book to be added to any reader’s list and especially those in book discussion groups.
What do You think about Lucernario (2012)?
Nada de especial.. um pouco fraquinho quando comparado com os outros livros que ele já escreveu.
—myouniss
nicely written, interesting stories. Quite atypical Saramago though
—Camila
