Although best known internationally for his 'allegorical' novels such as Blindness (1995), in his native Portugal, JosE Saramago remains most acclaimed for his earlier, richly poetic 'historical' novels. This new study of five of these works focuses on JosE Saramago's engagement with political and social philosophy from across Europe, so as to track his commitment to libertarian socialism in an era of neo-liberal economics and disillusion. Though deeply pessimistic about human being's capacity to deliver social justice, Saramago never abandons the progressive cause. Making use of...