Elephant’s Journey（ISBN=） 英文原版

　　In 1551, King Jo?o III of Portugal gave Archduke Maximilian an
unusual wedding present: an elephant named Solomon. The elephant’s
journey from Lisbon to Vienna was witnessed and remarked upon by
scholars, historians, and ordinary people. Out of this material,
José Saramago has spun a novel already heralded as “a triumph of
language, imagination, and humor” (El País).
　　Solomon and his keeper, Subhro, begin in dismal conditions,
forgotten in a corner of the palace grounds. When it occurs to the
king and queen that an elephant would be an appropriate wedding
gift, everyone rushes to get them ready: Subhro is given two new
suits of clothes and Solomon a long overdue scrub.
　　Accompanied by the Archduke, his new wife, and the royal guard,
our unlikely heroes traverse a continent riven by the Reformation
and civil wars. They make their way through the storied cities of
northern Italy: Genoa, Piacenza, Mantua, Verona, Venice, and
Trento, where the Council of Trent is in session. They brave the
Alps and the terrifying Isarco and Brenner Passes; they sail across
the Mediterranean Sea and up the Inn River (elephants, it turns
out, are natural sailors). At last they make their grand entry into
the imperial city. The Elephant’s Journey is a delightful, witty
tale of friendship and adventure.

　　JOS? SARAMAGO was born in 1922. He is the author of numerous
novels, including Blindness, All the Names, The Cave, and Death
with Interruptions. In 1998 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature.