{"product_id":"the-elephants-journey-9780547574110","title":"The Elephant's Journey","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA delightful, witty tale of friendship and adventure from prize-winning novelist José Saramago\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn 1551, King João III of Portugal gave Archduke Maximilian an unusual wedding present: an elephant named Solomon. In José Saramago's remarkable and imaginative retelling, Solomon and his keeper, Subhro, begin in dismal conditions, forgotten in a corner of the palace grounds. When it occurs to the king and queen that an elephant would be an appropriate wedding gift, everyone rushes to get them ready: Subhro is given two new suits of clothes and Solomon a long overdue scrub. Accompanied by the Archduke, his new wife, and the royal guard, these unlikely heroes traverse a continent riven by the Reformation and civil wars, witnessed along the way by scholars, historians, and wide-eyed ordinary people as they make their way through the storied cities of northern Italy; they brave the Alps and the terrifying Isarco and Brenner Passes; across the Mediterranean Sea and up the Inn River; and at last, toward their grand entry into the imperial city.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJOSÉ SARAMAGO was born in 1922. He is the author of numerous novels, including \u003ci\u003eBlindness, All the Names, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Cave, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eDeath with Interruptions\u003c\/i\u003e. In 1998 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Houghton Mifflin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50642309054738,"sku":"9780547574110","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_46ff2322-65cf-4eb5-8746-aae9633a1392.jpg?v=1733063200","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-elephants-journey-9780547574110","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}