The Silence of Water by José Saramago

A story of quiet contemplation and steely resolve by the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, illustrated for readers of all ages.

“I returned to the spot, even though the sun had already set, I cast my hook into the water and waited. I don’t think there is a deeper silence in the world than the silence of water.
I felt it then and never forgot it.”

On the banks of a river near his grandparents’ farm, a boy is about to catch a big fish. At the same moment that he loses his prey, the boy has a moment of growing awareness of the interconnectedness of all things. He is compelled to try again to catch the fish even though he is sure it’s gone. And even though his chance has passed and he is company only to silence, he has staked a claim there by the river’s edge. 

From a childhood memory detailed in his book Small Memories, José Saramago spins a tale of quiet depth and wisdom–here translated by Margaret Jull Costa, and beautifully illustrated by Yolanda Mosquera.

José de Sousa Saramago, (November 1922-June 2010), was a Portuguese writer and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the theopoetic human factor. More than two million copies of Saramago’s books have been sold in Portugal alone and his work has been translated into 25 languages. He was a founding member of the National Front for the Defense of Culture in Lisbon in 1992, and co-founder with Orhan Pamuk, of the European Writers’ Parliament (EWP).

Margaret Jull Costa is a translator of Portuguese and Spanish fiction and poetry, including the works of José Saramago, Eça de Queiroz, Fernando Pessoa, Paulo Coelho, Bernardo Atxaga, Carmen Martín Gaite, Javier Marías, Angela Vallvey, and Luisa Valenzuela.. Her translations have been awarded the International Dublin Literary Award, the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize (four times), and the TLS Translation Prize, among many others. She lives in England

Yolanda Mosquera lives and works in the north of Spain, in the Basque Country. She is a graphic designer and illustrator and has taught illustration and creativity workshops. She has participated in a number of local and international exhibitions in Portugal, Korea, China, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico. In 2014 she received an honorable mention in the third edition of the Sharjah Children’s Book Illustrations Exhibition in the United Arab Emirates and the Euskadi Prize for Literature Illustration in 2018.

Author Residence: Saramago, deceased; Jull Costa England

Author Hometown: Saramago, Portugal; Jull Costa England

Yolanda Mosquera lives and works in the north of Spain, in the Basque Country. She is a graphic designer and illustrator and has taught illustration and creativity workshops. She has participated in a number of local and international exhibitions in Portugal, Korea, China, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico. In 2014 she received an honorable mention in the third edition of the Sharjah Children’s Book Illustrations Exhibition in the United Arab Emirates and the Euskadi Prize for Literature Illustration in 2018.

Illustrator Residence: Spain