299:, several of his patients, and assorted others, who are thrown together by chance. The ophthalmologist's spouse, "the doctor's wife," is inexplicably immune to the blindness. After a lengthy and traumatic quarantine in an asylum, the group bands together in a family-like unit to survive by their wits and by the good fortune that the doctor's wife has escaped the blindness. The sudden onset and unexplained origin and nature of the blindness cause widespread panic, and the social order rapidly unravels as the government attempts to contain the apparent contagion and keep order via increasingly repressive and inept measures.
354:(hence the dark glasses). She is unceremoniously removed from the hotel and taken to be quarantined in the asylum. Once inside, she joins the small group of people who were contaminated at the doctor's office. When the car thief gropes her on the way to the lavatory, she kicks him with a heeled shoe – giving him a wound which will eventually lead to his death. While inside, she also takes care of the boy with the squint, whose mother is nowhere to be found. At the end of the story, she and the old man with the black eye patch become lovers.
329:
Once inside, she attempts to help the compound organize, but she is increasingly unable to hold back the animality of the compound. When one ward begins withholding food and demanding that the women of other wards submit to being raped in return for food, she kills the leader of their ward. Once they escape the compound, she helps her group survive in the city. The doctor's wife is the de facto leader of their small group, although in the end, she often serves their disabled needs and acts as a nurse to them.
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services, government, schools, etc., no longer function. Families have been separated and cannot find one another. People squat in abandoned buildings and scrounge for food. Violence, disease, and despair threaten to overwhelm human coping. The doctor and his wife and their new “family” eventually make a permanent home in the doctor's house and are establishing a new order to their lives when the blindness lifts from the city en masse just as suddenly and inexplicably as it struck.
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wife not having gone blind; she is able to see what is going on around the ward and relays what she sees to her husband. When the group from his ward finally escapes they end up travelling to and staying in the doctor and his wife's apartment. Several of the other main characters had been visiting the doctor's office when the epidemic begins to spread.
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The first man to go blind is struck blind in the middle of traffic, waiting at a stoplight. He is immediately taken home and then to the doctor's office, where he infects all of the other patients and the doctor. He is one of the principal members of the first ward - the ward with all of the original
449:
contains many long, breathless passages in which commas take the place of periods, quotation marks, semicolons, and colons. The lack of quotation marks around dialogue means that the speakers' identities (or the fact that dialogue is occurring) may not be immediately apparent to the reader. The lack
437:. Additionally, he is the second in command to the man with the gun in the ward of hoodlums. When the doctor's wife kills the man with the gun, the blind accountant takes the gun and tries to seize control but he is unable to rally support. He dies when one of the rape victims sets fire to the ward.
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After the first blind man was struck blind in traffic, a car thief brought him home and, subsequently stole his car. Soon after he went blind, the car thief and the first blind man re-encounter one another in the quarantine, where they soon come to blows. They have no time to resolve their conflict,
625:
Shortly before his death, Saramago gave German composer Anno
Schreier the rights to compose an opera based on the novel. The libretto is written in German by Kerstin Maria Pöhler. Like the German translation of the novel, the opera's title is "Die Stadt der Blinden". It saw its first performance on
420:
The man with the gun is the leader of the ward of hoodlums that seizes control of the food supply in the quarantine. He and his ward take the rations by force and threaten to shoot anyone who doesn't comply with their orders. This ward extorts valuables from the other internees in exchange for food
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The dog of tears is a dog that joins the small group of blind people when they leave the quarantine. While he is mostly loyal to the doctor's wife, he helps the whole group by protecting them all from packs of dogs who are becoming increasingly feral. He is called the dog of tears because he bonded
341:
stricken blind after treating a patient with what will come to be called "the white sickness". The doctor is among the first to be quarantined along with his wife. Due to his medical expertise he has a certain authority among those quarantined. However, much of the doctor's authority stems from his
328:
The doctor's wife is the only character in the novel who does not lose her sight. This phenomenon remains unexplained through the novel. Unwilling to leave her husband to be interned, she lies to the government doctors and claims to be blind. As such, she is interned with the rest of the afflicted.
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The wife of the first blind man goes blind soon after helping her husband to the quarantine. They are reunited by chance in the quarantine. Once inside, she also joins the first ward with the doctor and the doctor's wife. When the ward of hoodlums begins to demand that the women sleep with them in
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The story then follows the doctor's wife, her husband, and their impromptu “family” as they attempt to survive outside, cared for largely by the doctor’s wife, who can still see (though she must hide this fact at first). At this point, the breakdown of society is near total. Law and order, social
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Anxiety over the availability of food, caused by delivery irregularities, acts to undermine solidarity; and lack of organization prevents the internees from fairly distributing food or chores. Soldiers assigned to guard the asylum and look after the well-being of the internees become increasingly
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The boy with the squint was a patient of the doctor's, which is most likely how he became infected. He is brought to the quarantine without his mother and soon falls in with the group in the first ward. The girl with the dark glasses assumes a motherly role for him, as she takes care of him and
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Conditions degenerate further as an armed clique gains control over food deliveries, subjugating their fellow internees and exposing them to violent assault, rape, and deprivation. Faced with starvation, internees battle each other and burn down the asylum, only to discover that the army has
467:
The city afflicted by the blindness is never named, nor the country specified. Few definite identifiers of culture are given, which contributes an element of timelessness and universality to the novel. However, there are some signs that hint that the country is
Saramago's homeland of
302:
The first part of the novel follows the experiences of the central characters in the filthy, overcrowded asylum where they and other blind people have been quarantined. Hygiene, living conditions, and morale degrade horrifically in a very short period, mirroring the society outside.
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antipathetic as one soldier after another becomes infected. The military refuses to allow basic medicine to be delivered, which ensures that a simple infection becomes deadly. Fearing an imminent escape, soldiers shoot down a crowd of internees waiting for a food delivery.
464:). The characters are instead referred to by descriptive appellations such as "the doctor's wife", "the car thief", or "the first blind man". Given the characters' blindness, some of their names seem ironic ("the boy with the squint" or "the girl with the dark glasses").
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that allows the internees to listen to the news. He is also the main architect of the failed attack on the ward of hoodlums hoarding the food rations. Once the group escapes the quarantine, the old man becomes the lover of the girl with the dark glasses.
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afflicting nearly everyone in an unnamed city, and the social breakdown that swiftly follows. The novel follows the misfortune of a handful of unnamed characters who are among the first to be stricken with blindness, including an
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The girl with the dark glasses is a former part-time prostitute who is struck blind while she is with a customer. She seemingly contracted the “white-blindness” while visiting the doctor due to
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abandoned the asylum, after which the protagonists join the throngs of nearly helpless blind people outside who wander the devastated city and fight one another to survive.
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An outdoor performance adaptation by the Polish group Teatr KTO, was first presented in June 2010. It has since been performed at a number of venues, including the
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though, since the car thief is the first internee killed by the guards. He is gunned down while trying to ask the guards for medication for his infected leg.
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This man is not one of those afflicted by the "white sickness"—rather he has been blind since birth. He is the only one in the ward who can read and write
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and, when the "goods" (such as bracelets and watches) run out they begin to rape the women. He is later stabbed to death by the doctor's wife.
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The old man with the black eye patch is the last person to join the first ward. He brings with him a portable
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the 1951 John
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906:"Blindness Review - blazing pandemic tale is brilliantly too close for comfort"
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to the group when he licked the tears off the face of the doctor's wife.
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was one of his works noted by the committee when announcing the award.
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produced a socially-distanced sound installation based on the novel.
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and directed by Joe
Tantalo. The First Blind Man was played by
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242:. It is one of Saramago's most famous novels, along with
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and features several of the same nameless characters.
851:"In Saramago's 'Blindness,' A Vision Of Human Nature"
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290:is the story of an unexplained mass epidemic of
570:as the doctor's wife. The film opened the 2008
458:is typical of many of Saramago's novels (e.g.
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803:"Patti LuPone Hosts Drama Desk Awards May 23"
8:
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484:verb form (a distinction absent in most of
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25:
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562:. Filming began in July 2007 and stars
1171:Poética dos Cinco Sentidos - O Ouvido
1136:Don Giovanni ou O Dissoluto Absolvido
995:The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
720:"The Nobel Prize for Literature 1998"
472:: the main character is shown eating
7:
1262:Portuguese novels adapted into films
1120:A Segunda Vida de Francisco de Assis
1016:The Gospel According to Jesus Christ
581:Godlight Theatre Company staged the
482:familiar "tu" second-person singular
358:The old man with the black eye patch
245:The Gospel According to Jesus Christ
1009:The History of the Siege of Lisbon
981:Manual of Painting and Calligraphy
14:
829:Doollee The Playwrights Data Base
254:. In 1998, Saramago received the
726:. Nobel Media AB. 8 October 1998
663:
1252:20th-century Portuguese novels
1179:The Tale of the Unknown Island
510:, literal English translation
346:The girl with the dark glasses
31:1st edition Cover (Portuguese)
1:
904:Wyver, Kate (9 August 2020).
769:. GradeSaver. 9 October 2023.
445:Like most works by Saramago,
780:Chang, Justin (2008-05-14).
496:Saramago wrote a sequel to
433:and who knows how to use a
16:1995 novel by José Saramago
1298:
653:voiced the Doctor's Wife.
544:
407:The first blind man's wife
256:Nobel Prize for Literature
626:November 12, 2011 at the
620:Edinburgh Festival Fringe
116:Published in English
24:
1197:This World and the Other
1112:Que Farei Com Este Livro
1058:Death with Interruptions
782:"Blindness Movie Review"
696:The Country of the Blind
579:Drama Desk Award Winning
1257:Novels by José Saramago
1204:The Traveller's Baggage
680:The Day of the Triffids
616:University of Edinburgh
380:The boy with the squint
271:was published in 2004.
224:Ensaio sobre a cegueira
51:Ensaio sobre a cegueira
1272:Social science fiction
1267:Novels about blindness
1072:The Elephant's Journey
767:"Blindness Characters"
542:
508:Ensaio sobre a lucidez
223:
988:Baltasar and Blimunda
547:Blindness (2008 film)
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385:ensures his safety.
277:film of the same name
251:Baltasar and Blimunda
194:PQ9281.A66 E6813 1997
1282:Metafictional novels
1211:Opinions That DL Had
1065:Memories of My Youth
635:the Donmar Warehouse
572:Cannes Film Festival
551:An English-language
425:The blind accountant
416:The man with the gun
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1225:Journey to Portugal
553:film adaptation of
454:character names in
398:The first blind man
275:was adapted into a
47:Original title
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883:The New York Times
689:Many, Many Monkeys
647:Walter Meierjohann
628:Zurich Opera House
566:as the doctor and
560:Fernando Meirelles
543:
228:Essay on Blindness
1277:Postmodern novels
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878:"Zero Visibility"
512:Essay on lucidity
337:The doctor is an
324:The doctor's wife
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105:Publication place
81:Post-apocalyptic
61:Giovanni Pontiero
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364:transistor radio
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728:. Retrieved
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577:In 2007 the
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283:Plot summary
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230:) is a 1995
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120:October 1997
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1247:1995 novels
1189:Non-fiction
974:Land of Sin
889:26 December
861:26 December
700:H. G. Wells
538:edition of
522:Adaptations
182:869.3/42 21
1241:Categories
1044:The Double
788:2008-05-14
706:References
605:Mike Roche
586:theatrical
478:Portuguese
333:The doctor
319:Characters
236:Portuguese
226:, meaning
220:Portuguese
71:Portuguese
57:Translator
20:Blindness
1218:The Notes
1155:O Embargo
1023:Blindness
957:Works by
784:. Variety
639:BLINDNESS
555:Blindness
540:Blindness
516:Blindness
498:Blindness
456:Blindness
447:Blindness
292:blindness
288:Blindness
279:in 2008.
273:Blindness
260:Blindness
215:Blindness
134:paperback
130:Hardcover
87:Publisher
1181:" (1997)
1086:Skylight
1037:The Cave
807:Playbill
657:See also
589:premiere
474:chouriço
470:Portugal
169:38225068
109:Portugal
67:Language
1104:A Noite
855:NPR.org
834:8 March
614:of the
601:adapted
595:. This
536:Persian
530:Author
431:braille
238:author
234:by the
128:Print (
90:Caminho
1174:(1979)
1166:(1978)
1158:(1973)
1139:(2005)
1131:(1993)
1123:(1987)
1115:(1980)
1107:(1979)
1051:Seeing
966:Novels
730:26 May
503:Seeing
492:Sequel
486:Brazil
452:proper
268:Seeing
258:, and
206:
204:Seeing
37:Author
1096:Plays
857:. NPR
698:" by
597:stage
441:Style
232:novel
141:Pages
77:Genre
1079:Cain
917:2020
891:2016
863:2016
836:2024
732:2020
248:and
163:OCLC
150:ISBN
100:1995
450:of
144:288
1243::
908:.
880:.
853:.
827:.
805:.
740:^
722:.
649:.
630:.
622:.
607:.
574:.
222::
132:,
1177:"
950:e
943:t
936:v
919:.
893:.
865:.
838:.
791:.
734:.
694:"
691:"
687:"
682:,
506:(
218:(
136:)
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