Memoirs of Blindness

Author: José Saramago
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: In a certain city in the West, some residents suddenly contract a "blindness disease," which spreads rapidly. In panic, the government locks the blind men and women in an abandoned "insane asylum," hoping that isolation will lead to the patients' "disappearance." The blind people spend years in fear and helplessness, enduring unimaginable suffering. A gang of blind robbers enters the asylum and seizes control of food distribution through force, even more cruelly forcing the female blind people into "sexual servitude." A clever and resourceful young woman, a submissive husband, a fiery prostitute, and a ruthless villain all play their parts in a farcical tragedy, showcasing the extremes of good and evil in human nature in this book.