Yes, this is a book of historical fiction. It is based on a true event in history:“In 1551, King João III of Portugal gave Archduke Maximilian an unusual wedding present: an elephant named Solomon. The elephant's journey from Lisbon to Vienna was witnessed and remarked upon by scholars, historians, and ordinary people.” , this being a direct quote from the book description.
And yet this book is primarily a book of humor. To be more explicit, it is a book of ironic satire. It is written with modern terminology. We are not to analyze the appropriateness of the terminology. These are NOT the expressions of the 1500s. They are not meant to be. Instead, we are meant to chuckle at the incongruence of our modern way of thinking and the historical events as they unfolded. It is very funny, and I praise Saramago for his ability to make me laugh. Read this book to laugh, not to learn of an historical event.
I chose to listen to this book because it does not employ the normal rules of punctuation. I do not like such writing. Paragraphs and rules of punctuation help a reader understand what is being said. Soooooo instead, I figured the narrator of this audio book could do the reading for me! I can just sit back and enjoy the content! If I had had to struggle through the reading myself, I am sure I would have given it less stars! The narrator was excellent. Her intonations were perfect. She has earned her money. It is worth paying a bit more for the audio version than struggling through the written, never ending sentences. That is what I think.
Do you want a sophisticated chuckle? Listen to this book.
