Author of over 40 books, José Saramago was born in 1922 in the village of Azinhaga.

His nights spent in the Palácio das Galveias Library, in Lisbon, were essential for his education. "And it was there, without help or advice, just guided by curiosity and the will to learn, that my taste for reading developed and sharpened."

Until his death in 2010, on June 18, in Lanzarote Island, José Saramago built up a body of work that is unmistakable in Portuguese and universal literature, having written books such as Memorial do Convento a Caim, passando por O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis, Ensaio sobre a Cegueira and A Viagem do Elefante, which have been translated all over the world.

In 2007, a Foundation was created in Lisbon bearing his name, which works for the dissemination of literature, the defense of human rights and the environment.

José Saramago was awarded the Camões Prize in 1995 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998.