The Tale Of The Unknown Island (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
‘Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking.Saramago had a gift for delivering such potent messages in such a simple manner, focusing a vast array of complex ideas into a simple parable that easily penetrates to your heart. His short story, The Tale of the Unknown Island is no exception, as is brought to even higher heights of fairytale-like beauty with the simple illustrations by Peter Sís. While it would have been best to include this in a collection of stories instead of sold on it’s own, this tale is a wonderful parable about looking for happiness and understanding the mysterious ways love works in our world. This story is classic Saramago with all of his talents and motifs on displays. Right away the reader is immersed in the political satire that fleshes out much of his work, as a man comes knocking at the King’s Door for Petitions. ‘Since the king spent all his time sitting at the door for favors (favors being offered to the king, you understand), whenever he heard someone knocking at the door for petitions, he would pretend not to hear’. The story takes off into a wonderful parable about finding happiness as the Man and a runaway cleaning woman, the only one to believe in the man’s quest, embark to discover an Unknown Island. Saramago’s language seems so simple, like a story aimed to be understood and enjoyed by all ages, yet carries a powerhouse of ideas and meaning in his seemingly unthreatening words. A message of love seems best delivered in such a pleasant way. This story caresses the heart and makes one feel the subtle magic of the world that echoes in the beauty of life all around us.The story, while being a joy to read, is a bit too short and feels as if it could have been much greater. There is a lengthy satirical buildup, yet, right when it seems the story could set off towards a wonderful adventure, the epiphany occurs and the story rapidly comes to an end. It is conclusive, but the message comes suddenly and made me wonder if it was originally intended to be a novella. Had he expanded on the ideas, I think this could have been a wonderful tale of double the length. Had this been included in a collection of short stories, the quick conclusion wouldn’t have felt so disappointing. Including this, perhaps, in Saramago’s The Lives of Things (that was a complete work, but I am unaware if Saramago had other short stories this could have been included with) would have given a more satisfactory feel to both that collection and this story. That said, this is still worth reading, and is very uplifting and enjoyable.The world lost a wonderful storyteller when Saramago passed in 2010. He had a unique style, and a sweet simplicity that reminds me of a more intellectual and literary version of Paulo Coelho. This story is a bit too light to stand on it’s own, yet is a satisfying trip into the warm, soothing places in Saramago’s heart. 3.5/5‘[W]e can’t see ourselves unless we become free of ourselves’
A very quick read with a fast ending pace.The plot is pretty basic. A determined man is keen on finding an unknown island, and needs a boat to do so. After persuading the king, he gets himself a boat. The king’s cleaning woman tags along with him, after realizing that her true vocation is not scrubbing palaces but cleaning boats. (No judgments whatsoever but ‘Think big, dream big’ does not apply to this woman.)Upon hitting the no-crew-can’t-sail obstacle, she suggests that they settle in the boat, that the man finds a profession. To that, our pilgrim replies “but I want to find the unknown island, I want to find who I am when I’m there on that island[…] If you don’t step outside yourself, you’ll never discover who you are.”In the dream the man plunges himself into later that night, he stumbles upon more discouragement from his virtual crew “The unknown island doesn’t exist, except as an idea in your head” but even after dropping them on a known island, the search for the unknown resumes like before; even though it’s just a dream.The story ends with the man and woman waking up, heading to the prow and painting the name the boat still lacked:“Around midday, with the tide, The Unknown Island finally set to sea, in search of itself”This is a book about self-discovery. But above all, it is about aimless sailing, and the audacity to acknowledge it. I’ve always felt estrangement with people with fully laid objectives, people who seem to figure out every nook of their lives. Such outward foreknowledge, mature or premature, contradicts, in my opinion, the general contingency of things. We’re all aimless wanderers after all; it’s just that some of us live without the obligation of suffix-ing their existence.
What do You think about The Tale Of The Unknown Island (2000)?
Saramago, fed up with some attitudes in his own country, auto-exiled himself, went to a neighbouring country such as Spain, took a Spanish wife, they both moved to an island legally belonging to Spain and set on the Northern coasts of Africa, believed in humand kind and believed in a utopical union between Portugal and Spain, and got the Nobel prize for the quality of his works, always written in Portuguese and later on translated into other languages.Saramago never betrayed Portugal... He simply moved away because he felt Portugal was betraying his own soul.Saramago is not my cup of tea, but Saramago is a sword that reached other continents, and some people I love thousands of miles away happened to read this short story... A full novel in this style would be tiring to me, such as was "Death with Interruptions", but being just a short story let me enjoy the peculiar style of this author and his fine sense of subtle humor.
—César Lasso
"La Isla Desconocida... a la búsqueda de sí misma". El literato lo vuelve a hacer, en esta corta historia se desenvuelve el amor, los sueños y la búsqueda de ese "algo" que no sabremos que es hasta que decidamos que nos falta y que hay que salir a buscarlo. Es la calidez, el viaje y el entendimiento lúcido lo que hace de este capítulo literario tan especial. A través del sueño escapamos, nos alejamos estando cerca unos de los otros, pero volvemos a encontrarnos. Y en esta búsqueda, la imaginación es (a veces) "el verdadero camino a la felicidad".
—Felixx
"Gostar é provavelmente a melhor maneira de ter, ter deve ser a pior maneira de gostar."Dizer que Saramago é um dos meus autores favoritos sem ter lido este conto era um atentado. Resolvi colmatar isso. A história não me era completamente estranha, pelo que penso ter ouvido falar dela na escola. Este é um conto muito pequeno, sabe a pouco, e é esse o seu único defeito. Saramago sabe contar histórias como ninguém! As suas histórias têm sempre algo com que nos identificar e, simultaneamente, deixam-nos a pensar. No final deste conto só apetece partir ir à procura da Ilha Desconhecida.
—Ema
