The theme ‘Our only defense against death is love’ sets the stage for an initiative by the José Saramago Foundation, in collaboration with Porto Editora and RTP2, organized to commemorate the anniversary of the writer’s death on June 18.
The program, which honors the author of ‘The Memorial of the Convent,’ begins with a full day of free admission at the José Saramago Foundation in Lisbon, where the auditorium will screen the documentary ‘José Saramago. O tempo de uma memória’ by director Carmen Castillo starting at 2:00 PM.
This film is making its debut in Portugal after premiering in France in 2003 and will later be broadcast at 10:55 PM on the same day on RTP2.
In the late afternoon, at 6:00 PM, the exhibition ‘Women of Saramago,’ created for the centenary of José Saramago, will be presented, featuring screen prints and engravings by Portuguese artists alongside texts from Portuguese-speaking female authors.
Half an hour later, researcher Sara Grünhagen, author of the book ‘The Color of God’s Hair — José Saramago’s Workshop,’ will discuss the female characters in José Saramago’s works. This session is part of the ‘From Saramago’ cycle, aimed at engaging the author’s works with other artistic expressions.
In the evening, at 8:00 PM, Porto Editora’s space at the Lisbon Book Fair will host a theatrical performance inspired by ‘Blindness.’
This performance will feature actors from the cast of ‘Blindness,’ an immersive theater production directed by Miguel Thiré that is set to premiere soon in Lisbon.
The program’s final event will take place at 10:30 AM the following day, also at the Book Fair, where Rita Sineiro will conduct readings for children from ‘O Primeiro Barco’ and ‘O Silêncio da Água.’
