Eighth Thoughts Instead of Second Thoughts

This blog entry of mine is my 4^th blog entry on Blogspot. Of all the 4 blog entries I have written, there were nil blog entries that I had written that had given me second thoughts on writing them before publishing them. 

This 4^th blog entry had given me eighth thoughts instead of second thoughts on writing it, because this blog entry is based on a well-known figure, who is now dead, and who was an outspoken and controversial Nobel-laureate Portuguese novelist, playwright, and journalist during his life literature career. This well-known figure was unloved by a majority of the Portuguese population and by almost every single Madeiran population and Azorean population, including the non-Portuguese population.

This well-known figure died two days ago of pneumonia at the age of 87. His death received a lot of media attention and coverage in the Portuguese Republic, which somewhat surprised me.

Not only did it somewhat surprise me; it had also somewhat surprised me that the Portuguese government declared 2 days of mourning. Although it declared 2 days of mourning, I am unsurprised a majority of the population in the Portuguese Republic, except for 20,000 of them, did not mourn his death, whilst almost the entire population of Madeira and the population of the beautiful Azores had not mourned his death, including the non-Portuguese population.

The reason why I am somewhat surprised and unsurprised is because he was a communist and an antichrist and was also an anti-Semitist, or was accused of being one, hence why I am surprised and unsurprised. This well-known figure I am referring about is the one an only José de Piedade de Sousa Saramago, born as José de Piedade de Sousa, but commonly known as José Saramago.

I am fan of José Saramago, despite his anti-Semitist views, because José Saramago was, without a doubt, a great writer and was, without a doubt, the best Portuguese writer of his generation and was, without a doubt, one of the best writers in this world. I own books written by José Saramago and will continue to do so, because he was a great writer and, most importantly, was a great Portuguese. Maybe the word “great” is not a great word for me to write, due to him being an antichrist and a communist and being accused as an anti-Semitist. He did in fact voice his dissatisfaction with the Jews, due to their actions against the Palestinians. Here is one example of what he once said:

“Living under the shadows of the Holocaust and expecting to be forgiven for anything they do on behalf of what they have suffered seems abusive to me. They did not learn anything from the suffering of their parents and grandparents.

[C]ontaminated by the monstrous and rooted ‘certitude’ that in this catastrophic and absurd world there exists a people chosen by God … the Jews endlessly scratch their own wound to keep it bleeding, to make it incurable, and they show it to the world as if it were a banner. Israel seizes hold of the terrible words of God in Deuteronomy: ‘Vengeance is mine, and I will be repaid.’”

Some of his comments were a little extreme, but I disbelieve they were prompted by an innate hatred of the Jewish people. I am not writing this due to the fact he was once a fellow Portuguese of mine, really; I am writing this due to the fact I disbelieve they were prompted by an innate hatred of the Jewish people. Mind you readers, if I believed that his comments were prompted by an innate hatred of the Jewish people, then I would have written in this paragraph that I believe his comments were prompted by an innate hatred of the Jewish people. In fact, I would go as far as not being a fan of his, really. Although I would go as far as not being a fan of his, I would admit to you readers, including to my non-readers, that he was a great writer, in which he was a great writer. 

Approximately 20,000 mourners went during the weekend to pay their last respects to José Saramago’s body at a temporary chapel of rest at the city hall in Lisbon, just after his remains were flown home on Saturday.

After the official eulogy, the coffin, which was covered by the national flag of the Portuguese Republic, was lifted to lengthy applause. Hundreds of people shouted the Portuguese words “Obrigado, Obrigado!”, which translate into the English words to “Thank-you, Thank-you!”, whilst others wept, and others raised their fists.

Crowds then moved to a nearby cemetery where José Saramago was cremated. A banner at the cemetery read this:

“Saramago: The struggle continues.”

Some of those who gathered to pay their last respects admitted to never having read his books, but were nevertheless saddened by the death of a man who they considered as a “defender of the voiceless”.

One person wrote in the book of condolences in the chapel these exact words:

“Thank-you, a worker of words who always served the most humble.”

Numerous of people placed red carnations, the symbol of the 1974 revolution that brought to an end to the dictatorship of António Salazar.

“I may have three, four years more to live, maybe less. Every time I finish a book I wait for another idea, it may not come this time, we shall see.” - José de Piedade de Sousa

What a quote! It is a quote that sheds tears and that helps boost confidence to people, because it makes people to think how precious and short life really is. Many reasons why I continue writing and will always continue writing.

Rest in peace!

Pork Chop 4 Life! <:o)