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, JoséSaramago has spun a novel already heralded as a triumph of language, imagination, and humor”( El País ). Solomonand his keeper, Subhro, begin in dismal conditions, forgotten in a corner of the palace grounds. When it occurs totheking andqueenthatan elephantwould bean appropriatewedding 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 heroestraverse a continentriven 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 maketheir grandentry into the imperial city. The Elephant’s Journey is a delightful, witty tale offriendship and adventure.

若澤·薩拉馬戈（José Saramago，1922-2010）

葡萄牙作傢。1947年齣版首部小說《罪孽之地》，1995年獲葡萄牙語文學最高奬項卡濛斯文學奬。1998年，因其“充滿想象、同情和諷喻的寓言故事，不斷地使我們對虛幻的現實加深理解”，被授予諾貝爾文學奬。

薩拉馬戈的作品風格獨特，內涵深刻，作品主題大多關心的是人類的命運與世界的前途。寫作手法上，他創立瞭一種充滿想象、隱喻和諷刺的小說類型，贏得瞭無數讀者的贊譽。

他一生創作瞭數十部小說和其他文學作品，已經被翻譯成30多種語言，總銷售超過350萬冊，主要作品包括《修道院紀事》、《洞穴》、《雙生》、《石筏》等。