The novel “Baltasar and Blimunda” by José Saramago is set in 18th-century Portugal during the construction of the monumental Mafra Palace.
It follows Baltasar, a one-handed soldier, and Blimunda, a woman gifted with supernatural sight, as they become involved in the dreams of a priest who seeks to build a flying machine.
Against the backdrop of royal ambitions and the Inquisition, their journey weaves together love, faith, and human ingenuity in a story that feels both intimate and vast.
The novel “The City and the Mountains” by José Maria de Eça de Queirós follows Jacinto, a wealthy man from Paris who grows disillusioned with modern urban life.
When he inherits an estate in rural Portugal, he decides to leave the city and embrace a simpler way of living in the countryside.
The book contrasts urban chaos with the calm of pastoral life, highlighting Jacinto’s personal transformation as he reconnects with a slower, more meaningful existence.
“The Crime of Father Amaro” by José Maria de Eça de Queiroz tells the story of a young priest named Amaro, who is sent to a provincial town in Portugal. He becomes involved with a woman named Amélia, leading to a secret relationship that spirals into deceit and moral conflict.
The novel explores the church’s influence in society and the consequences of hypocrisy within religious and personal life.
José Maria de Eça de Queirós wrote “The Illustrious House of Ramires,” a story about Gonçalo Ramires, a young nobleman trying to restore his family’s fading glory.
He dreams of writing a historical novel that celebrates his ancestors while dealing with his own flaws and dilemmas. The book explores his struggles with ambition, honor, and his place in a changing Portugal.
José Maria de Eça de Queiroz wrote “The Maias,” a story about a wealthy Portuguese family, focusing on Carlos da Maia and his tragic love affair. The book paints a vivid picture of 19th-century Lisbon, showing the lives of the upper class while exposing their flaws.
Through Carlos and his family, the novel reflects on loyalty, ambition, and heartbreak, offering glimpses of both grandeur and decay in their world.
The book “The Mystery of the Sintra Road” by José Maria de Eça de Queirós and Ramalho Ortigão is a fast-paced story about two friends who are unexpectedly abducted during a late-night carriage ride near Sintra.
What begins as a strange ordeal quickly grows stranger when secret letters, mysterious figures, and hidden motives come into play. The story unfolds with twists that keep the characters questioning everything they thought they knew.
“Pereira Maintains” by Antonio Tabucchi is set in 1930s Lisbon during the rise of fascism in Europe. It follows Pereira, an aging journalist who edits the culture section of a small newspaper.
His quiet life takes a turn when he becomes involved with a young couple whose revolutionary ideals challenge his apolitical stance. This story explores personal awakening and moral courage in the face of oppressive times.
“Requiem: A Hallucination” by Antonio Tabucchi takes place over a single day in Lisbon, where the narrator waits to meet a ghostly figure.
As he wanders the city, he encounters various characters, including a cook, a woman from his past, and even the spirit of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. The story blends the real and the surreal, reflecting on memory, love, and loss.
“A Small Death in Lisbon” by Robert Wilson weaves together a murder investigation in modern-day Portugal with events from World War II.
The story follows Inspector Zé Coelho as he looks into the death of a young woman, while another thread reveals wartime conspiracies involving Nazis, espionage, and the tungsten trade.
The novel paints a vivid picture of Portugal’s history and culture, pulling you into a world where past sins cast long shadows over the present.
“The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis” by José Saramago is set in Lisbon in 1936 and follows Ricardo Reis, a doctor and poet, who returns to Portugal after living in Brazil.
The story unfolds as he navigates the political tension of the time, meets mysterious characters, and converses with the ghost of Fernando Pessoa, his literary creator. The novel explores identity and mortality in a setting shaped by the rising tide of fascism.
“The High Mountains of Portugal” by Yann Martel weaves together three stories set across different time periods. The book begins in early 20th-century Lisbon, following a man named Tomás as he embarks on a journey to find a mysterious artifact.
Decades later, it shifts to a pathologist grappling with grief, who uncovers something astonishing during an autopsy. Finally, a Canadian senator relocates to rural Portugal with an unexpected companion, a chimpanzee.
These threads connect in surprising ways, offering a glimpse into love, loss, and faith.
Peter Bieri’s “Night Train to Lisbon” follows Raimund Gregorius, a Swiss professor who abandons his routine life to explore the story of a mysterious Portuguese writer.
After finding a peculiar book, he begins to piece together the life of Amadeu de Prado, a man whose thoughts on love, friendship, and rebellion come to life through his writing.
The journey takes Raimund to Lisbon, where he uncovers clues about a doctor caught in the grip of political resistance during Salazar’s dictatorship.
David Leavitt’s “The Two Hotel Francforts” is set in Lisbon during the summer of 1940. The story follows two couples who meet while waiting to escape the turmoil of World War II. As their lives intertwine, hidden desires and unsettling truths come to light.
Against the backdrop of a city filled with refugees, the novel explores relationships, secrets, and the weight of choices made in desperate times.
The book “God’s Formula” by José Rodrigues dos Santos tells the story of Tomás Noronha, a cryptanalyst and historian who gets pulled into a mystery involving Albert Einstein’s final secret.
The plot weaves together science, religion, and history, taking readers through locations in Portugal and beyond. As Noronha deciphers clues, he uncovers shocking truths connected to Einstein’s theories and their potential implications for humanity.
Katherine Vaz wrote “Mariana,” a novel that tells the story of Mariana Alcoforado, a nun in 17th-century Portugal. She falls in love with a French soldier, and their forbidden romance unfolds against the backdrop of her cloistered life.
The story captures her longing and heartbreak as she pens passionate letters to him, pouring out her feelings. Inspired by the real “Letters of a Portuguese Nun,” it weaves together love and loss in a deeply personal way.