The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis

Summary

The novel «The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis» by José Saramago tells the story of the poet Ricardo Reis returning to Lisbon after sixteen years in Brazil. Set in 1936, against the backdrop of political upheaval and the rise of fascism in Europe, Ricardo Reis, the alter ego of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, encounters the ghost of Pessoa himself, who died a few months before his return. Over the course of a year, Reis reflects on life, death, love, and politics, meeting various characters, including a maid named Lydia and a mysterious woman named Marcenda. The novel explores themes of identity, memory, and historical inevitability, blending elements of magical realism and philosophical prose.