Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Este livro começou Kafkiano e terminou Orwelliano. É assustador, sim. Saramago aponta o dedo a vários pilares da nossa sociedade atual de um modo brutal, lúcido e quase profético. Requer uma leitura atenta, mas sempre compensará.
Uf, uf. Kako je ovo neki vid nastavka “Slepila” moram da kažem da mi je ostavio znatno slabiji utisak od tog romana. Zapravo, rekla bih da je ovo najslabiji Saramagov roman koji sam pročitala, bar iz mog ugla.
Sve je počelo interesantno, i u onom klasičnom Saramagovom stilu. Inicijalna premisa mi se dopala, dopalo mi se što je radnja smeštena četiri godine nakon epidemije slepila o kojoj se ne govori. Međutim, kako je roman odmicao tako mi je sve manje bila jasna autorova namera. Nekako sam stekla utisak da je roman krenuo u nekom drugom pravcu, kao da prva i druga polovina nisu povezane, a u isto vreme jesu. Drugi deo romana mi je bio znatno slabiji i mogu slobodno reći dosadnjikav, sve nakon povratka građana koji su pokušali izaći iz grada i od pojave višeg inspektora i njegove istrage. Čak mi ni sam kraj nije ostavio neki utisak. Tako da eto, nakon “Slepila” koje je možda i najjači roman Saramaga koji sam ja čitala, ovo je blago razočaranje. Možda sam ja previše očekivala, ali onda je prethodni “deo” postavio ta očekivanja. Da je roman nastavio svoj razvoj koji je započeo u prvoj polovini, verujem da bi ovo bila neka četvorka, međutim ovako slabija trojčica.
Sve je počelo interesantno, i u onom klasičnom Saramagovom stilu. Inicijalna premisa mi se dopala, dopalo mi se što je radnja smeštena četiri godine nakon epidemije slepila o kojoj se ne govori. Međutim, kako je roman odmicao tako mi je sve manje bila jasna autorova namera. Nekako sam stekla utisak da je roman krenuo u nekom drugom pravcu, kao da prva i druga polovina nisu povezane, a u isto vreme jesu. Drugi deo romana mi je bio znatno slabiji i mogu slobodno reći dosadnjikav, sve nakon povratka građana koji su pokušali izaći iz grada i od pojave višeg inspektora i njegove istrage. Čak mi ni sam kraj nije ostavio neki utisak. Tako da eto, nakon “Slepila” koje je možda i najjači roman Saramaga koji sam ja čitala, ovo je blago razočaranje. Možda sam ja previše očekivala, ali onda je prethodni “deo” postavio ta očekivanja. Da je roman nastavio svoj razvoj koji je započeo u prvoj polovini, verujem da bi ovo bila neka četvorka, međutim ovako slabija trojčica.
In Jose Saramago's "Seeing", a citizen can be a rebel and subversive just by exercising their rights. "Seeing" is a sequel to "Blindness", which tells the story on how a country is plagued by a white blindness -- except for one woman.
The book opens with an election day, in which citizens are coming to vote nearing the poll closing time, and the result is a staggering 70% blank. The government holds another election to no avail, as this time, the blank votes reaches 83%.
Dumbfounded by the blank votes, the government tries to look for a culprit, and later, failing to find one, directly points the blame to the woman who did not go blind four years ago.
The government tries to paint the disillusioned voters as "blinds". However, in a heated Cabinet meeting, one minister argues that probably the voters have a point, and that "the blank vote could be seen as a sign of clear-sightedness on the part of those who used it".
This certainly takes me back to the debate regarding #golput movement a year ago, ahead of Indonesia's very own presidential election. The divisive election was often painted as one that could keep the country's oligarch out of power. And yet, when the dust has settled, the vote barely mattered as the opposition is now in the government anyway.
The blankers and the government in "Seeing" never has direct communication aside from the ballots. The dynamics between the rulers and the ruled are painstakingly clear here: your voice does not matter, and the government will only care about the people so long as they give it power and authority.
One sentence hits too close to home: "Allow me to say that in a situation like this, a government doesn’t govern, it just looks as if it were governing."
While "Blindness" focuses on the individual, "Seeing" puts the mass on the spotlight, picking apart the government as a political institution, and democracy as a mechanism that begins to lose its appeal and purpose. A great read indeed.
The book opens with an election day, in which citizens are coming to vote nearing the poll closing time, and the result is a staggering 70% blank. The government holds another election to no avail, as this time, the blank votes reaches 83%.
Dumbfounded by the blank votes, the government tries to look for a culprit, and later, failing to find one, directly points the blame to the woman who did not go blind four years ago.
The government tries to paint the disillusioned voters as "blinds". However, in a heated Cabinet meeting, one minister argues that probably the voters have a point, and that "the blank vote could be seen as a sign of clear-sightedness on the part of those who used it".
This certainly takes me back to the debate regarding #golput movement a year ago, ahead of Indonesia's very own presidential election. The divisive election was often painted as one that could keep the country's oligarch out of power. And yet, when the dust has settled, the vote barely mattered as the opposition is now in the government anyway.
The blankers and the government in "Seeing" never has direct communication aside from the ballots. The dynamics between the rulers and the ruled are painstakingly clear here: your voice does not matter, and the government will only care about the people so long as they give it power and authority.
One sentence hits too close to home: "Allow me to say that in a situation like this, a government doesn’t govern, it just looks as if it were governing."
While "Blindness" focuses on the individual, "Seeing" puts the mass on the spotlight, picking apart the government as a political institution, and democracy as a mechanism that begins to lose its appeal and purpose. A great read indeed.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
وقتی به دنیا می آییم، برای زندگی خود قراردادی را امضاء میکنیم، اما بعد از گذشت سالها از خودمان میپرسیم چه کسی آن را به جای من امضاء کرده است؟
¿Quien pensaría que lo que antaño causó destrucción, muerte y locura, sería años después la analogía que permitirá la fuga al sistema democrático en la ficción de Saramago?
¿Confiamos lo suficiente en el trabajo de nuestros gobiernos? ¿Hemos reflexionado acerca de la necesidad de vigilancia y supervisión ciudadana en cuanto a la labor y ejercicio del poder del Estado? ¿Que quieren quienes detentan el liderazgo de un país, región, comuna o vecindad? ¿Es cierto que la democracia es un juego viciado, solo apariencia y espejismos, que ocultan los íntimos intereses de sus participantes, siendo el egoísmo el acto predominante de estos? ¿La esperanza cabe en una reforma, revolución o en un acto sincronizado de altruismo de cada ciudadan@ que ponga en jaque al sistema y sus errores?
Todo lo anterior, y más, está inscrito en las páginas de Saramago. Es una invitación al repensar y la reflexión en torno al ejercicio más básico del ciudadano: Votar. De ahí en adelante, cada un@ sabrá que camino tomar.
¿Confiamos lo suficiente en el trabajo de nuestros gobiernos? ¿Hemos reflexionado acerca de la necesidad de vigilancia y supervisión ciudadana en cuanto a la labor y ejercicio del poder del Estado? ¿Que quieren quienes detentan el liderazgo de un país, región, comuna o vecindad? ¿Es cierto que la democracia es un juego viciado, solo apariencia y espejismos, que ocultan los íntimos intereses de sus participantes, siendo el egoísmo el acto predominante de estos? ¿La esperanza cabe en una reforma, revolución o en un acto sincronizado de altruismo de cada ciudadan@ que ponga en jaque al sistema y sus errores?
Todo lo anterior, y más, está inscrito en las páginas de Saramago. Es una invitación al repensar y la reflexión en torno al ejercicio más básico del ciudadano: Votar. De ahí en adelante, cada un@ sabrá que camino tomar.
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"Nascemos, e nesse momento é como se tivéssemos firmado um pacto para toda a vida, mas o dia pode chegar em que nos perguntemos Quem assinou isto por mim."