Seeing by Jose Saramago

[Ben Mines]

Seeing is a sequel to Saramago's Blindness. In an unnamed city, 80 per cent of the electorate cast blank votes, prompting an unfortunate, totalitarian backlash by the right wing government.

 

I find Saramago's prose-style (page-length sentences; commas in place of full stops; a deep reluctance to use capital letters) highly irritating at first, but he tells a good story.

 

One thing that is bothering me, however, is a glaring and unexplained discrepancy between the first novel and its sequel. I don't want to give anything away, but if you've read it, you will probably know what I am talking about. Perhaps Mr Saramago has his reasons, but they're lost on this reader.

Edited November 21, 2008 by Ben Mines

[Ruth]

Hi Ben. I have picked up Blindness in my local book shop on many occasions, but the lack of paragraphs has always put me off. However, the theme really intrigues me, so I may have to give it a go! I didn't even know there was a sequel, so thanks for the info. Depending on how I get on with Darkness, I may have to get hold of Seeing.

[Ben Mines]

It was actually imprecise of me to say that I find his prose-style irritating. His prose style is in fact perfectly conventional. It is just his capitalizing, paragraphing, and punctuation that's weird—and for no good reason that I can see. I view it as a frivolous distraction that the reader must patiently get around; but if you can do that then, like I said, he spins a good yarn.

[Freewheeling Andy]

I'm much the same as Ruth. I've picked up Blindness more than once, because of the reputation, but I just look at a few pages and the writing style beats me down and I think "Nah, I'll take something less consciously annoying".

[Ben Mines]

I'm much the same as Ruth. I've picked up Blindness more than once, because of the reputation, but I just look at a few pages and the writing style beats me down and I think "Nah, I'll take something less consciously annoying".

 

Both books are worth the effort.

[Ben Mines]

Ursula K Le Guin, writing a review of Blindness for the Guardian, had this experience with Saramago:

 

Some years ago a reliable friend told me I should read Jos

[ajithsnair123]

Both are really good books but I preferred Blindness.

[sirinrob]

Just finished 'Blindness'. It is a powerful novel: the scenario is well thought out and plausible. As others have said the punctation, lake of dialogue markers, run on sentences, lack of paragraphs is annoying.