{"product_id":"manual-of-painting-and-calligraphy-9780547640228","title":"Manual of Painting and Calligraphy","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the Nobel Prize winning author--a novel that takes us into the last days of Salazar's dictatorship when a second-rate artist is commissioned by a wealthy client to paint a portrait and the political and intellectual struggles that ensue.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eManual of Painting and Calligraphy\u003c\/em\u003e was José Saramago's first novel. Written eight years before the critically acclaimed \u003cem\u003eBaltasar and Blimunda\u003c\/em\u003e, it is a story of self-discovery set against the background of the last years of Salazar's dictatorship. A struggling young artist, commissioned to paint a portrait of an influential industrialist, learns in the process about himself and the world around him. The brilliant juxtaposition of a passionate love story and the crisis of a nation foreshadows all of Saramago's major works. A must-have for any devotee of the great Portuguese Nobel laureate, \u003cem\u003eManual of Painting and Calligraphy\u003c\/em\u003e is now available in the United States.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Taut and compelling.\" --\u003cem\u003e Los Angeles Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Beautifully realized, heartbreakingly honest.\" -- \u003cem\u003eProvidence Journal-Bulletin\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Almost impossible to put down.\" -- \u003cem\u003eAustin American-Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eJOSÉ SARAMAGO (19222010) was the author of many books, among them \u003ci\u003eBlindness\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis\u003c\/i\u003e. In 1998, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. \u003c\/p\u003eGIOVANNI PONTIERO translated all of Saramago's novels until his death in 1997, just after finishing his translation of \u003ci\u003eBlindness\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50491816935698,"sku":"9780547640228","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_20669fa7-dc16-4e4c-a935-258126c62b87.jpg?v=1730557113","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/manual-of-painting-and-calligraphy-9780547640228","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}