The Lizard

Description

When a lizard appears in the neighbourhood of Chiado, in Lisbon, it surprises passers-by, and mobilises firefighters and the army. With a clear and precise style, the fable offers a multitude of senses, reaching audiences of all ages.

The Lizard is a short story included in A Bagagem do Viajante (1973), a volume that brought together the Saramago chronicles for the newspaper A Capital and the weekly Jornal do Fundao between 1971 and 1972.

Translated by Nick Caistor and Lucia Caistor, The Lizard is an illustrated version of the chronicle by J. Borges.

Borges contributes bold, rustic woodcuts that leave plenty of room for symbolic interpretations.... A pensive, allegorical fairy tale for readers ready to sit with perplexity. Kirkus Reviews

Ably translated by the Caistors, this surreal fable by Nobel Prize-winner Saramago imagines a monstrously outsize military response to the appearance of a lizard. ... the fable serves as a reminder that in toxic political situations, nothing - not even a fairy lizard - is safe. Ages 6-9. Publishers Weekly