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All the Names by [José Saramago, Margaret Jull Costa]

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Jose Saramago

All the Names Kindle Edition

by José Saramago (Author), Margaret Jull Costa (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition

260 ratings

Part of: Panther S. (4 books)

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From a Nobel Prize winner: “A psychological, even metaphysical thriller that will keep you turning the pages . . . with growing alarm and alacrity.” —The Seattle Times

A Washington Post Book World Favorite Book of the Year

Senhor José is a low-grade clerk in the city’s Central Registry, where the living and the dead share the same shelf space. A middle-aged bachelor, he has no interest in anything beyond the certificates of birth, marriage, divorce, and death that are his daily routine. But one day, when he comes across the records of an anonymous young woman, something happens to him. Obsessed, Senhor José sets off to follow the thread that may lead him to the woman—but as he gets closer, he discovers more about her, and about himself, than he would ever have wished. The loneliness of people’s lives, the effects of chance, the discovery of love—all coalesce in this extraordinary novel that displays the power and art of José Saramago in brilliant form.

Print length

262 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Mariner Books
Publication date

October 5, 2001
File size

1078 KB
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Total Price: $37.96

Books In This Series (4 Books)

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Eucalyptus: A Novel
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A Goat's Song (Panther S.)
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The Bend For Home (Panther S.)
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All the Names

(260)

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$11.99

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A psychological, even metaphysical thriller that will keep you turning the pages in spite of yourself, and with growing alarm and alacrity.” —The Seattle Times

“A novel that reminds readers how much loneliness can be like death . . . Saramago is one of the best.” —Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times

“Within the first few pages, Saramago establishes a tension that sings on the page, rises, produces stunning revelations and culminates when the final paragraph twists expectations once again.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“From the beginning, Saramago is in perfect control of the narrative, and the result is a tour de force.” —The Denver Post

Praise for Blindness

“Blindness is a shattering work by a literary master.” —The Boston Globe

“This is an important book, one that is unafraid to face all the horrors of the century.” —The Washington Post

“Extraordinarily nuanced and evocative . . . This year’s most propulsive, and profound, thriller.” —The Village Voice

About the Author

José Saramago (1922–2010) was the author of many novels, among them Blindness, All the Names, Baltasar and Blimunda, and The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis. In 1998 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Amazon.com Review

"As soon as you cross the threshold, you notice the smell of old paper." The Central Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths is the setting for All the Names, Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese author José Saramago's seventh novel to be translated into English. The names in question are those of every man, woman, and child ever born, married, or buried in the unnamed city where the Registry is located, and are the special province of Senhor José who is employed there as a clerk. Over the centuries, the paper trail in this hopelessly arcane bureaucracy has grown so monumental, so disorganized that one poor researcher became lost in the labyrinthine catacombs of the archive of the dead, having come to the Central Registry in order to carry out some genealogical research he had been commissioned to undertake. He was discovered, almost miraculously, after a week, starving, thirsty, exhausted, delirious, having survived thanks to the desperate measure of ingesting enormous quantities of old documents that neither lingered in the stomach nor nourished, since they melted in the mouth without requiring any chewing. The nondescript Senhor José labors long and thanklessly among the archives; his is a tepid, lonely life with only one small hobby to leaven his leisure hours: he collects "news items about those people in his country who, for good reasons and bad, had become famous." One night, it occurs to him that "something fundamental was missing from his collection, that is, the origin, the root, the source, in other words, the actual birth certificate of these famous people"--and that the information is within easy reach on the other side of a connecting door that separates his meager lodgings from the Registry itself. And so begins Senhor José's midnight raids on the stacks as he shuttles between the Registry and his own room bearing precious records that he carefully copies before returning them to their rightful places. Still, this minor aberration might have remained the clerk's only transgression if not for a simple act of fate: one night, along with his celebrity records, he accidentally picks up a birth certificate belonging to an ordinary, unknown woman--a woman who becomes suddenly more important than all the others precisely because she is unknown. Celebrity is cast aside as Senhor José begins a search for this mysterious quarry--a quest that will lead him into conflict with his superior, the Registrar, and ensnare him in the kind of messy personal histories and tangled relationships he has thus far avoided in his own life.

A recurring theme in many of Saramago's novels is the very human struggle between withdrawal and connection. Whether it is the Iberian peninsula literally breaking off from the rest of Europe in The Stone Raft or an entire country afflicted by a devastating malady in Blindness, he is fascinated by the effects of isolation on the human soul and, correspondingly, the redemptive power of compassion. All the Names continues to mine this rich vein as the repressed clerk follows his unknown Ariadne's thread out of the labyrinth of his own strangled psyche and into life. Readers will find here Saramago's trademark love of the absurd, his brilliant imagery and idiosyncratic punctuation, as well as the unflinching yet tender honesty with which he chronicles the human condition. --Alix Wilber

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Book Description

Published in hardcover by Harcourt, 2000, 0-15-100421-8
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Booklist

The recent Portuguese winner of the Nobel Prize for literature is known for his cerebral but perfectly enticing novels that are often more about ideas than events. His latest is no exception, a riveting, Kafkaesque journey into one man's obsession amid the arid, repetitive, and cumbersome bureaucratic environment in which he works. Senhor Joseis employed in the Central Registry in what we assume to be the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. This office keeps the vital records of all the country's citizens, including registrations of birth, marriage, and death. Senhor Jose, by an odd set of circumstances, lives in a room attached to the registry and accessed by an old key. One day he comes upon an incomplete record of a woman and is caught up in the idea that she deserves to be known. Surreptitiously, for he could lose his job, Senhor Jose searches the archives available to him and then takes to the streets to track the woman down. This haunting, strangely moving novel is uplifting despite the tragic nature of the woman's life; Saramago's true theme here is how compassion ultimately rules human behavior. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The deceptive simplicity of Nobel Prize-winner Saramago's prose, and the ironic comments that he intersperses within this story of an obsessional quest, initially have a disarming effect; one expects that this low-key exploration of a quiet man's eccentric descent into a metaphysical labyrinth will be an extremely intelligent but unexciting read. Unexciting: wrong. Within the first few pages, Saramago establishes a tension that sings on the page, rises, produces stunning revelations and culminates when the final paragraph twists expectations once again. The title refers to the miles of archival records among which the protagonist toils at the Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths in an unnamed small country whose inhabitants still live by ancient rules of hierarchical social classes. The registry is quixotically disorganized so that the files of those most recently deceased are buried under miles of paper at the furthest remove of the massive building. After more than two decades at the job, 50-year-old Senhor Jos is still a mere clerk in the bureau. A penurious, reclusive, lonely bachelor, Senhor Jos has only one secret passion: he collects clippings about famous people and surreptitiously copies their birth certificates, purloining them from the registry at night and returning them stealthily. Purely by accident, the index card of a 36-year-old woman unknown to him becomes entangled in the clippings he steals. Suddenly, he is stricken by a need to learn about this woman's life. Consumed by passion, this heretofore model of punctilious behavior commits a series of dangerous and unprofessional acts. He forges official papers, breaks into a building, removes records from institutions and continues to enter the registry after darkDall punishable offenses. To carry out his mission, he is forced to become practical, clever and brave. But the more risks he takes, the more astonishing events occur, chief among them that the remote, authoritarian Registrar takes a personal interest in his lowly employee. Meanwhile, Senhor Jos himself discovers shocking facts about the woman he seeks. Saramago relates these events in finely honed prose pervaded with irony, but also playful, mocking and witty. Alternately farcical, macabre, surreal and tragic, this mesmerizing narrative depicts the loneliness of individual lives and the universal need for human connection even as it illuminates the fine line between the living and the dead. First serial to Grand Street, the Reading Room and Doubletake; QPB and Reader's Subscription Club selection; author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Library Journal

Senhor Jose is a low-level clerk in the Portuguese Civil Registry of births, deaths, and marriages, where it is next to impossible for him to squeeze out of that rigid hierarchy even one miserable half-hour off work. A middle-aged bachelor with no interest in anything beyond the dates and facts that are his daily fare, he is especially fascinated by the vital statistics of celebrities. One day he becomes particularly preoccupied by the birth certificate of an anonymous young woman who he learns is a mathematics teacher. As he becomes more and more obsessed with her, his resolve to learn all that he can about her leads to tragedy. The loneliness of people's lives, the effects of chance and sudden flashes of recognition, and the discovery of tentative love are all skillfully woven together in this imaginative parable of the living and the dying. Saramago, the 1988 Nobel literary laureate, has here written a tantalizing anatomy of an obsession.
-DJack Shreve, Allegany Coll. of Maryland, Cumberland
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003T0GBPG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; First edition (October 5, 2001)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 5, 2001
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1078 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 262 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #414,010 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #860 in Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction (Books)
- #1,562 in Romance Literary Fiction
- #3,290 in Contemporary Literary Fiction

Customer Reviews:
260 ratings

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Jose Saramago

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JOSE SARAMAGO is one of the most acclaimed writers in the world today. He is the author of numerous novels, including All the Names, Blindness, and The Cave. In 1998 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

260 global ratings

5 star		48%
4 star		25%
3 star		16%
2 star		6%
1 star		6%

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D. Cloyce Smith

A modern-day Don Quixote on a Kafkaesque journey

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 12, 2005

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The Kafkaesque hero of "All the Names" works mindlessly for the mindless bureaucracy known as the Central Registry, the office of records for the population of an unnamed country that is presumably Portugal. "The Central Registry only wants to know when we're born and when we die . . . whether we marry, get divorced, widowed or remarried, the Central Registry has absolutely no interest in finding out if we were happy or unhappy. . . . For them we're just a few pieces of paper with a few names on it."

Yet Senhor Jose (ironically the only person with a name in "All the Names") tries to instill life into the routine inhumanity of his profession. When we initially meet him, he is keeping a scrapbook of the 100 most famous people in his country, and he supplements his hobby by illicitly (and in violation of official policy) sneaking into the Registry at night to collect the records for these celebrities.

Then, one day, he accidentally picks up a card of an anonymous, random woman--someone whose life and happiness are foreign to tabloids and magazines. His inexorable obsession (who is she? where does she live? what is she like?) snaps him out of his meaningless existence and propels him, like a modern-day Don Quixote, on a bizarre, increasingly absurd journey to find out what he can about her. His regulation-breaking pursuit motivates him to fabricate credentials, to burglarize a school, to sleep in a cemetery that mirrors the Registry (except that it houses only the dead), and eventually to invite the attention of his superiors.

Dense and ponderous, Saramago's unpunctuated prose is, remarkably, seldom dull; what's extraordinary about this book is the suspense, the tension, the humor, and the sarcasm that keeps his narrative moving. There is almost a noir atmosphere behind this story, as the reader nervously follows a man who, drowning in a sea of daily tedium, can't resist the impulse to find the humanity behind "all the names" he files away in the registry. In the end, his rebellion restores integrity to his own life as well.

19 people found this helpful

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Michael Lima

An Intimate, Multi-Layered Masterwork

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 27, 2000

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It is a testament to Saramago's skill as a writer that he is able to explore so many themes in such an intimate work. As other reviewers have noted, the book does examine the impact that loneliness and isolation have on a person. But, there are many other aspects that are explored with equal brilliance. Saramago takes great care in pointing out the prevalent role that pattern and routine have in everyone's life. He also examines the effect that fate has on a person's behavior. Each of these themes could easily be the single focus of any book. However, Saramago also finds a way to include explorations of the depths of obsession, the power of authority, and the need for friendship. What's more amazing is that each of these themes is explored in a way that feels complete and thorough.
All The Names is another incredible work from one who is deserving of the Nobel Prize honor. Saramago once again challenges the reader to examine their feelings and revise their assumptions about life. Yet, it is done in a way that allows the reader to sympathize with the main character and be moved by the story. It is a rare talent that possesses the ability to masterfully handle so many aspects of writing. When that talent creates a book as multi-layered and fascinating as All The Names, it deserves to be read by as wide an audience as possible.

16 people found this helpful

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Guttersnipe Das

The novel as an instrument for compassion.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 18, 2012

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Jose Saramago, All The Names
Harcourt, 1999

Years ago, I used to carry around a copy of the later stories of Chekhov which I referred to as "my artificial heart" because the book seemed to me so radiant with human understanding that it might well restart my heart if I should falter.

I have found a new heart. Like Chekhov, Saramago uses the novel to investigate and invoke compassion. Or, as the shepherd declares, "I don't believe one can show greater respect than to weep for a stranger."

Previously obsessed with celebrity, a government clerk finds himself following the trail of a random name. He seeks to know her, and fails, as we all fail each time we open a newspaper or a phone directory or go for a walk in the street. Yet the clerk arrives nonetheless at compassion and love. So can we.

This book reminds me of the long and convoluted guided meditations Tibetan Buddhists use to awaken compassion in the heart, meditations which aim to arouse love even for those who are distant and unknown.

It is possible that literature could have some higher purpose than this. But I have no idea what it could be.

13 people found this helpful

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Anne O'Brien

Phenomenal

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 5, 2022

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Everything about it was sublime. I was sorry to finish it and I haven't felt that way in a long time

One person found this helpful

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garythegrim

Not a show-stopper, for sure

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 16, 2015

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With All the Names, Jose Saramago once again leaves the reader hanging at the end of the book with no conclusions and many unanswered questions. This is similar to what is experienced with Seeing. I don't usually find this objectionable and recognize that many authors intentionally end books in a manner so as to encourage readers to consider their own conclusions or be curious enough to buy the next volume in a series; however, a little bit of this practice goes a long way. Given his passing, Senor Seramago will not be writing any new material and unless I've missed something, my questions will remain unanswered and my curiosities will continue to be unsatisfied. I can't recommend this book with any enthusiasm. It's a mildly entertaining read with an abrupt, incomplete finish.

6 people found this helpful

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typicalConsumer

Great piece of literature, terrible Kindle edition

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 14, 2014

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Like all Saramago, the literature is profound and exceptionally well-written. However, this Kindle edition is marred by horrible typographic errors. It reads like the publisher OCR'd the text and did not even pay a meager sum to a copy-editor to look through for basic mistakes. Extra commas/periods/etc. are all over the place. Several mysterious "Une"s appear, when it is clear that the original text was "line" but the OCR software made a mistake. These are inexcusable oversights that do a grave injustice to the author. Such typos in the Kindle edition appear almost every single page. They should really fix this.

25 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Susanna

An Uplifting Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 11, 2012

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I loved this book. I loved it for its deceptive simplicity and its main character Senor Jose, a very brave man about whom I began to care deeply.

'All the names' is a clever book that draws you into the monotonous and mundane world of a middle-aged civil servant and then gives you an extraordinary story within the framework of a well thought-out philosophy about life, love and death. This novel explores the consequences of sustained loneliness, personal development and how how the living of our modern world rub shoulders with the dead. We are caught up with Senor Jose's quest to learn more about the 'unknown woman.' We tremble with him as he braves his fear of heights and roots around like a stalker in someone's else's life. We worry about the lows he experiences, the effect of his obsession on his mental health and how he risks everything to fulfill his quest to the bitter end. Finally, we applaud his bravery and obvious strength of character in the face of exposure.

An uplifting book, where 'every man' triumphs. Highly recommended for the thoughtful.

2 people found this helpful

Amazo

It’s a book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 22, 2021

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What’s not to like about a brand new book 😀

Patrick McParland

A unique story told well.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 19, 2018

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Another great book from Jose Saramago. A unique story about civil servant in the registration department who goes beyond his normal role. A challenging but rewarding read.

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

very happy with the service you provide. solid.

Amazon Customer

recommended

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

gorgeous book