Skylight was José Saramago’s first book, written in 1953 but not published until 2014.
The young author hopefully sent his manuscript off only not to hear anything for 36 years.
When the publishing house finally contacted Saramago asking permission to publish, he refused and as a result, Skylight remained a secret until his death.
Set in Lisbon in the late 1940s, Skylight introduces us to the people in a down-at-heel apartment building.
The residents are doing what they can to get by while living under a dictatorship.
Despite the depressing-sounding premise, the apartment dwellers lead rich and interesting lives.
Living so close to one another, everyone knows everyone else’s business.
Intertwined with these relationships are the stories that take place in each apartment.
Skylight is a window into the lives of a group of ordinary people thrown together by chance. F
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