The past decades have seen a growing philosophical interest in a number of authors but
strangely enough Saramago's oeuvre has been left somewhat aside. This volume aims at filling
this gap by providing a diverse range of philosophical perspectives and expositions on
Saramago's work. The chapters explore some possible issues arising from his works: from his use
of Plato's allegory of the cave to his re-readings of Biblical stories from his critique and
reinvention of philosophy of history to his allegorical exploration of alternative histories
from his humorous approach to our being-towards-death to the revolutionary political charge of
his fiction. The essays here confront Saramago's fiction with concepts theories and
suggestions belonging to various philosophical traditions and philosophers including Plato
Pascal Kierkegaard Freud Benjamin Heidegger Lacan Foucault Patocka Derrida Agamben
and Zizek.
