Celebrations take time but they do not seem to fail

The controversy over the lack of official and significant commemorations in the 20 years of the announcement of the Nobel Prize for Literature to José Saramago has increased since yesterday, during the revelation of the unpublished novel published on October 8 – the date on which the decision of the Swedish Academy was known – the current director of the book, Manuel Alberto Valente, questioned the Portuguese official authorities for the negligence that he considers take place.

of Culture, replying that "ironically, we are in a year when there will be no Nobel and is the best reason to celebrate José Saramago". He added, "I'm not aware of preparing for a national holiday … It may be, but there is a secret."

Manuel Alberto Valente recalled that this oversight has already occurred at the Lisbon Book Fair, blaming the APEL, and that it seems "repeat at the Frankfurt Book Fair", despite the fact that Porto Editora intends to report the date to the German fair in its space and that in a close date will be announced the program with which the current editor of José Saramago will celebrate the 20 years on the Nobel of literature

As for Pilar del Río, when he was asked for the absence During these celebrations, the president of the José Saramago Foundation chose to list several events promoted by the Foundation to national and international level

On the alleged official forgiven, the APEL leader, João Amaral, confirmed to DN that this will not happen in Frankfurt: "APEL will have the publishers flag Portuguese dominated by large images of José Saramago in three walls and expo photographic and, more than has supported almost all the initiatives of the current publisher around that date. As for the crisis at the Lisbon Book Fair, he preferred not to comment, implying that APEL should not take the place of the other associations responsible for this initiative.

The response of the Ministry of Culture is by 2020 several initiatives are planned to honor the writer José Saramago, boosted by the Ministry of Culture, not only in Portugal, but also on the international scene. "The ministry however admits at the DN that a "great national tribute is being prepared", but it adds nothing more.

The Ministry states that "one of the department's priority strategic objectives for the book sector in 2018 is Guadalajara International Book Fair, in which Portugal presents itself as a guest country of honor" and in this context "will be carried out in the scheduled schedule homages to the writer" because it guarantees that José Saramago will be "also honored at the Frankfurt Book Fair"

Among the initiatives highlighted by the Ministry of Culture will be the one that will take place at the National Library of Portugal, whose program will be scheduled between December 2018 and January 2020 original autographs existing in the property that Saramago has deposited in the institution, as well as in d & # 39; other public libraries.