The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis

About “The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis”

The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis is a 1984 novel by José Saramago, who later won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature. The story follows the final year of life of Ricardo Reis, a character who was one of the many heteronyms used by the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. The novel explores themes of identity, mortality, and the passage of time through the experiences of its protagonist. Saramago's work is grounded in the literary legacy of Pessoa, using the character of Ricardo Reis as a central figure in the narrative. The book is a fictional account of the last year of Reis's life, presented in a reflective and philosophical tone. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)