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The elephant's journey / José Saramago ; translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa.

by Saramago, José.

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.

Elephants -- Fiction.

Voyages and travels -- Fiction.

Viagem do elefante. English English

Alternate title:

Viagem do elefante.

205 p. ; 22 cm.

"First published with the title A Viagem do Elefante in 2008 by Editorial Caminho, SA, Lisbon"--T.p. verso.

Original Portuguese title: Viagem do elefante.

"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. Out of this material, José Saramago has spun a novel already heralded as 'a triumph of language, imagination, and humor' (El País). Solomon and his keeper, Subhro, begin in dismal conditions, forgotten in a corner of the palace grounds. When it occurs to the king and queen that an elephant would be an appropriate wedding gift, everyone rushes to get them ready: Subhro is given two new suits of clothes and Solomon a long overdue scrub. Accompanied by the Archduke, his new wife, and the royal guard, our unlikely heroes traverse a continent riven by the Reformation and civil wars. They make their way through the storied cities of northern Italy: Genoa, Piacenza, Mantua, Verona, Venice, and Trento, where the Council of Trent is in session. They brave the Alps and the terrifying Isarco and Brenner Passes; they sail across the Mediterranean Sea and up the Inn River (elephants, it turns out, are natural sailors). At last they make their grand entry into the imperial city. The Elephant’s Journey is a delightful, witty tale of friendship and adventure."--Publisher.

Portuguese fiction -- Translations into English.

Historical fiction.

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