The Cave - Tapa blanda

Cipriano Algor, an ageing potter, lives with his daughter in the shadow of the Centre, a nebulous megaplex that provides his livelihood - until it haughtily decrees it is no longer interested in his humble wares. In despair, he goes to visit his wife's grave, encountering there a widowed neighbour, Isaura. But his daughter is not ready to give up on him yet. Together, hopefully, father and daughter craft a new line of small ceramic figurines; to their astonishment, the Centre orders vast quantities. But once the figures are complete, the Centre backtracks: there is no market for them. Defeated once again, he returns to his village, where Isaura awaits him.

Jos- Saramago was born in Portugal in 1922. His plays, poetry, memoirs, and novels have been translated into more than 20 languages. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998.