{"product_id":"manual-of-painting-and-calligraphy","title":"Manual of Painting and Calligraphy","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the Nobel Prize winning author--a novel that takes us into the last days of Salazar's dictatorship when a second-rate artist is commissioned by a wealthy client to paint a portrait and the political and intellectual struggles that ensue.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eManual of Painting and Calligraphy\u003c\/em\u003e was José Saramago's first novel. Written eight years before the critically acclaimed \u003cem\u003eBaltasar and Blimunda\u003c\/em\u003e, it is a story of self-discovery set against the background of the last years of Salazar's dictatorship. A struggling young artist, commissioned to paint a portrait of an influential industrialist, learns in the process about himself and the world around him. The brilliant juxtaposition of a passionate love story and the crisis of a nation foreshadows all of Saramago's major works. A must-have for any devotee of the great Portuguese Nobel laureate, \u003cem\u003eManual of Painting and Calligraphy\u003c\/em\u003e is now available in the United States.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Taut and compelling.\" --\u003cem\u003e Los Angeles Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Beautifully realized, heartbreakingly honest.\" -- \u003cem\u003eProvidence Journal-Bulletin\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Almost impossible to put down.\" -- \u003cem\u003eAustin American-Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51947339284711,"sku":"9780547640228","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0449\/4075\/5096\/files\/imageloader_b444862e-a8a0-4695-8f58-6e2a679803dd.jpg?v=1775487306","url":"https:\/\/arvidabookco.com\/products\/manual-of-painting-and-calligraphy","provider":"Arvida Book Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}