- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJosé de Sousa Saramago
- Height5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- José Saramago was born on November 16, 1922 in Azinhaga, Golega, Portugal. He was a writer, known for Blindness (2008), Enemy (2013) and O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo. He was married to Pilar del Río, Isabel da Nóbrega and Ilda Reis. He died on June 18, 2010 in Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain.
- SpousesPilar del Río(1988 - June 18, 2010) (his death)Isabel da Nóbrega(1970 - 1986) (divorced)Ilda Reis(1944 - 1970) (divorced, 1 child)
- He was the first Portuguese writer to have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998.
- His father's last name was de Sousa, whose nickname was Saramago, the name of a wild plant. This nickname was mistakenly entered on José's birth certificate.
- His first novel was published when he was 23. He essentially stopped writing for 30 years, during which time he worked at a garage, a welfare agency, and a printing company, among other jobs.
- He was raised mostly by his rural grandparents, while his parents looked for work in Lisbon. He credited his illiterate grandparents with instilling in him a love of folklore and fantasy, and respect for nature.
- His wife Pilar is a Spanish journalist.
- [In 2007 in an interview with New York Times about being fired from the Deputy Editor of the Lisbon newspaper, "Diario De Noticias" because of his leftist views] 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.
- [About his name change to Saramago in a 2007 interview] My father wasn't very happy, but if that was his son's official name, well, then he had to take it.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
