José Saramago
Portuguese author
José Saramago Rank
About José Saramago
José Saramago worked as a public servant at the Social Welfare Service before turning his attention to full-time writing. In 1947, he published his maiden book titled “Land of Sin” which placed him on his road to prominence.
Though he published many works, he gained global fame in 1982 when he launched “Memorial do Convento”. He was also known for his many best-selling works including “The History of the Siege of Lisbon” and “The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis”.
Controversy
As an atheist, the Portuguese writer was criticized by the Catholic Church for some of his works which were seen as an attack on Christianity. In his book “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ”, Saramago depicted God in a comical way which raised lots of eyebrows. In view of that, the government of Portugal took out his name from the potential winners of the European Literature Prize in 1991.
Family
He was born to Maria de Piedade and José de Sousa. Until his death, he was married to Spanish journalist Pilar del Río. Before their union, he was the husband of Ilda Reis, with whom he had a daughter called Violante.
Awards
He won the Camões Prize in 1995, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature three years later.
Trivia
He also worked as a journalist, translator, and an editor. In 1975, he joined the newspaper firm Diário de Notícias as an assistant director.
The writer established a self-named foundation in 2007.
José Saramago Rank
José Saramago photo gallery
Famous quotes by José Saramago
Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. By casting a blank vote, you're saying you have a political conscience but you don't agree with any of the existing parties.José Saramago
Americans have discovered fear.José Saramago
Being fired was the best luck of my life. It made me stop and reflect. It was the birth of my life as a writer.José Saramago
I am traveling less in order to be able to write more. I select my travel destinations according to their degree of usefulness to my work.José Saramago
I had no books at home. I started to frequent a public library in Lisbon. It was there, with no help except curiosity and the will to learn, that my taste for reading developed and was refined.José Saramago
I never appreciated 'positive heroes' in literature. They are almost always cliches, copies of copies, until the model is exhausted. I prefer perplexity, doubt, uncertainty, not just because it provides a more 'productive' literary raw material, but because that is the way we humans really are.José Saramago
I presume that nobody will deny the positive aspects of the North American cultural world. These are well known to all. But these aspects do not make one forget the disastrous effects of the industrial and commercial process of 'cultural lamination' that the USA is perpetrating on the planet.José Saramago
Society has to change, but the political powers we have at the moment are not enough to effect this change. The whole democratic system would have to be rethought.José Saramago
The attitude of insolent haughtiness is characteristic of the relationships Americans form with what is alien to them, with others.José Saramago
F.A.Q. about José Saramago
When is his birthday?
José Saramago's birthday is on November 16, 1922.
In how many days is his birthday?
Jose's birthday is in 136 days
How old was Jose when he died?
He was 87 years old.
When did he die?
He died in June 18, 2010.
How old would he be today?
José Saramago would be 99 years old if he was alive today.
Where was Jose from?
He was born in Azinhaga, Ribatejo, Portugal.
José Saramago's Popularity
José Saramago was a famous Portuguese author, who was born on November 16, 1922. As a person born on this date, José Saramago is listed in our database as the 40th most popular celebrity for the day (November 16) and the 50th most popular for the year (1922).
People born on November 16 fall under the Zodiac sign of Scorpio, the Scorpion. José Saramago is the 1515th most popular Scorpio.
Aside from information specific to José Saramago's birthday, José Saramago is the 21st most famous Portuguese.
In general, José Saramago ranks as the 18737th most popular famous person, and the 339th most popular author / writer / novelist / playwright of all time. “The Famous Birthdays” catalogs over 40,000 famous people, everyone, from actors to actresses to singers to tiktok stars, from serial killers to chefs to scientists to youtubers and more. If you're curious to see who was born on your birthday, you can use our database to find out who, what, where, when and why. You can search by birthday, birthplace, claim to fame or any other information by typing in the search box, or simply browse our site by selecting the month, the day, the horoscope, or any other clickable option.
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