{"product_id":"manual-of-painting-and-calligraphy-isbn-9780547640228","title":"Manual Of Painting And Calligraphy","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the Nobel Prize winning author—a novel that takes us into the last days of Salazar's dictatorship when a second-rate artist is commissioned by a wealthy client to paint a portrait and the political and intellectual struggles that ensue.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eManual of Painting and Calligraphy\u003c\/em\u003e was José Saramago’s first novel. Written eight years before the critically acclaimed \u003cem\u003eBaltasar and Blimunda\u003c\/em\u003e, it is a story of self-discovery set against the background of the last years of Salazar’s dictatorship. A struggling young artist, commissioned to paint a portrait of an influential industrialist, learns in the process about himself and the world around him. The brilliant juxtaposition of a passionate love story and the crisis of a nation foreshadows all of Saramago’s major works. A must-have for any devotee of the great Portuguese Nobel laureate, \u003cem\u003eManual of Painting and Calligraphy\u003c\/em\u003e is now available in the United States.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Taut and compelling.\" —\u003cem\u003e Los Angeles Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Beautifully realized, heartbreakingly honest.\" — \u003cem\u003eProvidence Journal-Bulletin\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Almost impossible to put down.” — \u003cem\u003eAustin American-Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"For a first novel, though, \u003cstrong\u003ethis work displays a masterly grasp of wordplay and other literary devices, and as the translator points out, it can also serve as a map to the political and social themes of Saramago’s future novels\u003c\/strong\u003e.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003cem\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890155155685,"sku":"NP9780547640228","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780547640228.jpg?v=1730232645","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/manual-of-painting-and-calligraphy-isbn-9780547640228","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}