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NAME OF APPLICANT: Gabriela Garcéz Pereira Stratas

SCHOOL: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
DATE: 21 April 2016
CONTEXT
An extended version of this article was written and presented as a discourse at the University
of Queensland, ‘Rhizomes V: Diaspora, Language and Place’ Conference, (4-5 February
2010). Subsequently this shortened version of the presentation was submitted for
publication. The article was then accepted for publication, peer reviewed, edited and
published in Kaleidoscope, The Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Journal for the Institute of
Advanced Study at Durham University, January 2013.

________________________________________________

IBERIANISM: José Saramago’s search for his own ‘Golden Fleece’ upon an
allegorical ‘Stone Raft’

GABRIELA GARCÉZ PEREIRA

Introduction: Iberianism

Iberianism has been defined as the desire for Portuguese unification with Spain 1. As
long as Portugal and Spain have shared the same geographical location, the concept that
both nations should be united as one has existed 2. At 86 years of age, Portuguese author and
Nobel Prize winner, José Saramago has become the voice of contemporary Iberianism.
Seemingly paradoxically, Saramago is a universe of ideas, beliefs and affirmations who does
not see a clash of his ideals with those of others in regards to his sense of national identity
and patriotic pride. He affirms, that he is firstly Portuguese, then Iberian, and afterwards if
he feels like it, European. Although the Nobel laureate says that he cannot be anything other
than Portuguese and thus, chooses to write only in his mother tongue, he emphasises that his
sense of belonging has evolved to encompass the Iberian Peninsula 3. In the opening
paragraphs of his 1986 novel, ‘A Jangada de Pedra’ or ‘The Stone Raft’, Saramago, begins
a tale which establishes many of the central discourses regarding Iberianism in the 21st
century, whilst also painting an allegory of what could be if Portugal and Spain united as
one nation. Saramago’s literary works and many prophetic outbursts invariably create a
noticeable uproar of striking and at times hostile reaction from the Portuguese public.
However, the author himself seems to have become a symptom rather than the trigger of the
Iberianist movement within the Iberian Peninsula and world-wide. Thus, in the age of the

1
M.Á. Bastenier. Esp-ugal o Portu-paña. El País. 4 October 2006.
[Link]
2
Miguel Mora. Iberia, capital Lisboa. El País.
[Link]
3
Marcio Resendes Júnior. José Saramago em Discurso Directo. Diário de Notícias. 7 June 2003.
[Link]
ENTE.
“Em primeiro lugar sou português. Depois sou ibérico... e depois se me apetecer, serei Europeu... Não posso ser
outra coisa senão português. Não posso escrever em outra língua se não a portuguesa. Mas digamos que o meu
sentido de pertencer a algo se ampliou. Pasou a ser a peninsula ibérica. ...Eu diria que é outra forma de respirar.”

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European Union and of the rapidly evolving national identities of the Spanish and
Portuguese nations, it is significant to analyse the evolutionary journey within this seminal
novel, together with its Iberianist allegories via the composition of its narrative and the
various paradigms involved in the construction of the text.

Imagology

Comparatist, Marius-François Guyard highlighted in works such as his ‘La littérature

comparée’ that literary sources were not merely a record of the representation of a
nationality, but a melting pot of polarising ideas which construct that nationality4. Thus,
Iberianism as a concept of social identity and perception has also been a construct of society
and literary texts over the centuries. Within the Iberian Peninsula the national identities of its
respective nations, have long suffered a multi-faced identity crisis, rooted in exaggerated
stereotypes, internal upheaval, external exploration, social myths and nationalistic politics.
Generally, perceptions of who we and others are have been related to one’s respective nation
or region of birth. Whether well-founded or not, these control and define our actions and are
rooted in our ancestral origins.
National characterisation and identity is therefore reliant on different types of
discourse, such as factual reporting and lyrical poetry 5. These discourses and modalities,
combined with national stereotypes and disseminated by distinct types of texts can be more
powerful in defining the character of a nation, as they focus on propagating long held ideas
and beliefs, rather than with reporting facts 6. In the opening lines of the ‘Stone Raft’:

When Joana Carda scratched the ground with the elm branch all the dogs of
Cerbère began to bark, throwing the inhabitants into panic and terror, because
from time immemorial it was believed that, when these canine animals that had
always been silent started barking, the entire universe was nearing its end. No one
remembers any longer the origin of this deep-rooted superstition or firm
conviction [...].Were someone to ask Joana Carda what had possessed her to
scratch the ground with an elm branch, more the gesture of a moonstruck
adolescent than of a mature woman, if she had not thought of the consequences of
an act which seemed meaningless, and those, remember, are the most dangerous
acts of all, perhaps she might reply, I don’t know what came over me, the branch
was lying on the ground, I picked it up and drew a line. [...]Did you know it was
an elm branch, I know very little about trees, they told me afterwards that wych-
elm is the same as wych-hazel, botanically known as ulmus, none of them having
supernatural powers, even by changing their names, but in this case, I’m sure that
a matchstick would have produced the same effect, Why do you say that, What
must be, must be, is very powerful and cannot be resisted, I’ve heard it said a
thousand times by older people, Do you believe in fate, I believe in what has to
be 7.

4
Joep Leerssen. “The Rhetoric of National Character: A programmatic survey.” Porter Institute for
Poetics and Semiotics. Poetics Today. 21:2 (Summer 2000), 269.
5
Joep Leerssen. “The Rhetoric of National Character: A programmatic survey.” Porter Institute for
Poetics and Semiotics. Poetics Today. 21:2 (Summer 2000), 281.
6
Joep Leerssen. “The Rhetoric of National Character: A programmatic survey.” Porter Institute for
Poetics and Semiotics. Poetics Today. 21:2 (Summer 2000), 282.
7
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 1-2.

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We believe, because our parents believed and so on. But perceptions can often be based upon
uneducated and narrow sources of information.
Imagology is not interested in the narrative, or what is said in the text – but why it
was said and its impact. Cultures such as those of Europe, have a “long, continuous and
voluminous” [textual record which] “demonstrates unambiguously that national characters
are a matter of common-place and hearsay rather than empirical observation or statements of
objective fact” 8. It looks at the forces which surround the creation of the text – how authors
are influenced by their previous readings and knowledge of the topic. Identity, place and
perception are pivotal concepts within the ‘Stone Raft’. Imagology, [functions] primarily on
literary representations, and furnishes continuous proof that it is in the field of imaginary
and poetical literature that national stereotypes are first and foremost effectively formulated,
perpetuated and disseminated. 9 When speaking of Spain and Portugal, characters, José
Anaiço and Pedro Orce, debate with each other the meaning of one’s land and identity:

If we carry on like this we’ll find ourselves in Spain, in your native country. My
native land is Andalucía, Country and land are one and the same thing, no they’re
not, we may not know our own country but we always know our own land, Have
you ever been to Galicia, no, I’ve never been to Galicia, Galicia is the land of
others. 10

Their banter reinforces the importance and fine lines which define national and cultural
identity not only to the Iberian mind, but also regionally and locally.
Within the ‘Stone Raft’ the nation trope is continuously restructured and reinforced
to juxtapose Iberia with other nations, thus, historical contextualisation is also necessary.
“Literary texts cannot be interpreted in timeless, aesthetic never-never-land” 11. Perceptions
of identity are rooted in texts and ongoing cultural norms and beliefs. They remain long after
the historical context has passed and are re-accessed over time. Both the characters within
the novel and its readers are faced with assessing their own preconceived beliefs and
perspectives of self via the historical and cultural beliefs promoted in the novel. In the
process of attempting to restructure their own nations, the Portuguese and Spanish
governments of the ‘Stone Raft’, utilise past historical events and turning points as a point of
reference for the separation of the Iberian Peninsula from Europe and their sudden
unification upon a single piece of land. Other than the ‘Stone Raft’, poignant Iberianist
themed literature includes Padre Antonio Vieira’s History of the Future and the Prophesies
of Bandarra together with Fernando Pessoa’s Mensagem 12.
Saramago reinforces this idea of perception and identity in his novel by outlining that
no matter what regional identity an individual may possess – their national identity may
remain the same:

there is an obvious exaggeration in the term fellow countryman, but it is understandable

at a time like this in Europe, a Portuguese from Minho and one from Alentejo feel
nostalgia for the same fatherland, even though five hundred kilometres separated one
from the other. 13

8
Joep Leerssen, Imagology: History and Method. Studia Imagologica. (Rodopi Publisher, 2007). 13:
26.
9
Joep Leerssen, Imagology: History and Method. Studia Imagologica. (Rodopi Publisher, 2007). 13:
26-27.
10
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 139.
11
Joep Leerssen, Imagology: History and Method. Studia Imagologica, (2007), 13: 28.
12
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 236.
13
Ibid, 245.

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Iberianism carried upon a ‘Stone Raft’

The ‘Stone Raft’s’ simple opening, not only questions the importance of long held
beliefs – which may or not be founded in truth, but also the ongoing importance of place and
‘what has to be’- otherwise known as, fate. The concept of fate impinges greatly upon how
the characters perceive themselves and how they react to the sudden and simultaneous
separation from Europe and unification of two neighbour nations. Saramago, seemingly
lyrically, sculpts Iberian unification as a natural, inevitable and foretold event. Contrary to
some public opinion, with this novel and by his subsequent intermittent public declarations
and prophesies, rather than a catalyst, José Saramago has become a conduit for contemporary
Iberianist discourse.
In the ‘Stone Raft’, Saramago takes us to a world which mirrors our own, where we
find that the Iberian Peninsula breaks off the European Continent and floats aimlessly into the
Atlantic Ocean. The process begins with a simple crack in the Earth’s crust and evolves into a
physical split from the European Continent whose description is crafted in such a manner as
to imply that the Iberian Peninsula will only separate from Europe when it “had matured and
its time had come” 14.
The results of this geographical separation also have political, social and diplomatic
reverberations which are felt throughout nations worldwide. Saramago crafts this reaction as
though in a Greek tragedy; as the reactions of both Iberian governments and those across
Europe are minutely counterpoised with the characters of the novel and thus, for society as a
whole. With “a pause, a great gust of air could be felt rushing though the air, like the first
deep breathing of someone awakening” 15, and separation finally occurs. Here, in Saramago’s
mind, Iberianism arrives upon the shores of the Iberian Peninsula and embracing its people, it
carries them away from Europe and its past into an unknown future. Saramago creates a tale
of what could be. Within the narrative, the leaders of foreign nations begin to confront the
new geographical reality of the Iberian Peninsula. The British Prime Minister referring to it
as “unquestionably an island, although by no means as solid as our own, of course” 16.
Saramago does not linger on the purely historic nostalgia of the past, but infuses his
narrative with fable, myth, fate and the interlaced dreams of iconic Iberianists such as Miguel
de Unamuno and Fernando Pessoa, with what he believes to be, humanity as a whole.
Saramago uses the mundane and the magical to shape signs which herald the onset of a new
Iberian world. Saramago is perhaps himself; the ‘invisible axe’ he refers to, as he creates
upon paper that which he believes should occur in real life.
Whilst Iberian nations, their neighbours and still others from around the world are
forced to confront this previously implausible situation, the narrative evolves and draws
together a group of five strangers from across the far-flung corners of Portugal and Spain.
The journey upon which they embark is contextualised within a fantastical voyage upon a
literal and figurative ‘Stone Raft’. According to a character Maria Guavaira:
I did nothing except unpick an old sock, one of those socks people use to keep their money in, but
the sock I unpicked would have given only a handful of wool, whilst the amount of wool here is
what you would get from sheering a hundred sheep, not to say a thousand, and how is one to
explain such a thing. For days, two thousand starlings kept following me, said José Anaiço, I
threw a stone into the sea that weighed almost as much as me and it landed way in the distance,

14
Ibid, 22.
15
Ibid, 32.
16
Ibid, 37.

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Joaquim Sassa added, aware that he was exaggerating, and Pedro Orce simply said, The earth is
trembling and has trembled. 17

Thereafter in the opening of the narrative we see Joana Carda scratched the ground with an
elm branch, the earth split and the silent dogs of Cerbère began to bark.
Like all good narrative craftsmen Saramago sculpts and weaves layered impossibility
and solid reality into an improbable story. By sewing it with well known tales from other
texts, anecdotes, fables and legends known to Portuguese and Iberian people alike, he
reinforces and substantiates his own version of the Iberian legend. The ‘Stone Raft’ shouts
out from the page with vignettes of Saramago’s own imaginary island of Iberia. On the eve of
taking to the road in search of Pedro Orce, José Anaiço tells Joaquim Sassa a short tale – as a
preface to their predicament.
Once upon a time, our King, Dom João the Second, known as The Perfect King and in my opinion
the perfect wit, made a certain nobleman a gift of an imaginary island, now tell me, do you know
of any other nation where such a thing could happen, And the nobleman, what did the nobleman
do, he set out to look for it, now what I’d like to know is how you can find an imaginary island,
That’s something I can’t tell you, but this other island, the Iberian one, which was a peninsula but
not any longer, I find just as amusing, as if it had set out to sea in search of imaginary men. 18

Saramago does not deny the chaotic impact of Iberian detachment from Europe, saying,
“each of them gravitated to their native soil, […] even if it meant breaking up families and
other relationships,” 19 but rather, allows the gurgle and bubble of voices from other nations to
remain as an underlying current which runs through the story, creating an ‘us versus them’
sensation which further serves to reinforce Iberian identity. The ‘Stone Raft’ is a satirical
novel which presents a parable of national identity and the bonds that unite individual people
and nations.
Saramago also reinforces the similarities between human beings throughout the text
by showing that despite expressing surprise with different words 20, the sentiment which
triggers the verbal reaction is commonly shared. Each of five travellers, “share discomfort as
they share everything else” 21 says Pedro Orce. Saramago reinforces the unity between human
emotion, expression and identity and questions the importance of belonging, mutual
acceptance and the meaning of what it is to be not only Portuguese, Spanish and European
respectively, but moreover, to be part of the collective human community.
If one thinks about it, there is no beginning for things and persons, everything that began one day
has begun before, the history of this sheet of paper, [...] in order to be true and complete would
have to date back to the origins of the world, [...] we could ask whether those first origins were
not simply points of transition, sliding ramps 22.

On the way to Granada, the travellers are followed by the canopy of notably Portuguese
starlings and as they struggle with the intricacies of map reading, the topography and obscure,
hidden villages they ponder over “how vexing it is for someone to check out their birthplace
on a map only to find a blank space, this has created the most serious problems in trying to
establish personal and national identities” 23. Further on the narrative comments on the racial
disparagement between different peoples, nations and cultures. “But it is true that there are
17
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 146.
18
Ibid, 48.
19
Ibid, 23.
20
Ibid, 74.
21
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 203.
22
Ibid, 35-36.
23
Ibid, 52.

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differences between one world and another, everybody knows that on Mars the inhabitants
are green, whilst here on earth they are every colour except green” 24.
He also shines a stark light upon long-held prejudices and beliefs in order to present
his startling alternate reality upon the ‘Stone Raft’. “Don’t tell us the Algarve is also breaking
away, it had to come sooner or later, they’ve always thought of themselves as being a
separate kingdom” 25. He plays upon age-old antagonisms and regional loyalties which seem
to pale in insignificance in comparison to the Iberian nation.
As suggested, Saramago delves into the ever present and potent national memories of
Portugal’s once glorious maritime past, whose themes of bravery, courage, confronting the
unknown, exploration and conquest are given a rebirth in order to stimulate Portuguese
sentiments of nationhood and sculpt them into an Iberian mould. Upon meeting José Orce in
Orce, Joaquim Sassa and José Anaiço, announce, “we are Portuguese, a futile statement, one
need only to hear them speak to know at once where they come from” 26. Saramago uses a
quote by Spanish author and Iberianist, Miguel de Unamuno to describe Portugal’s Atlantic
coast, “Fix your eyes where the lonely sun set in the immense sea, all the peoples with the sea
to the west do the same, this race is swarthy, there is no other difference, and it has sailed the
seas” 27. Saramago interlaces this literary idea to his tale, by having a radio announcer,
“Lyrical, ecstatic, the Spanish announcer declaims, Look at the Portuguese, all along their
golden beaches, once but no longer the prow of Europe, for we have withdrawn from the
European quayside to sail once more the Atlantic waves” 28.
Saramago defends the Iberianist cause by uniting Portugal and Spain into a single
nation. This two-fold fable consistently and loudly cries out against European unification, in
favour of his Iberian union. 29 The pilgrims, each of them on their own journey of self-
discovery, penance and enlightenment, pass through, ancient and historic Portuguese towns
such as that of Aracena, and the importance of cities such as Venice, in relation to it is
juxtaposed. Cities which are of assumed historical importance to Portugal and Spain versus
those which are considered of historical importance to Europe and civilisation. Saramago
questions their relationship to each other. The interconnectedness of each of the character’s
journeys and that of humanity is reinforced by the shared experience of the geographical
separation of the Peninsula 30. According to Saramago, the chaos and confusion of people on
the Peninsula after its separation from the European mainland, inspires disdain in his
European counterparts. He creates an ‘us versus them’ scenario and indirectly argues against
unification with Europe 31.
Cultural and historical confrontations abound throughout the narrative. Poignantly,
the importance of Spain and Portugal’s shared and often turbulent history – and their sporadic
animosity, is summarised in the character of the Portuguese elementary school teacher; José
Anaiço, who tells, “...without forgetting that he is in a country with a different geography and
history... how could he explain to children that the Battle of Aljubarrota was a victory when
they are usually taught to forget that it was a resounding defeat” 32. The narrative seemingly
overcomes historical and social prejudices by counter-pointing a common future and relates a
story which is humane in its mutual respect and recognition of its central characters – no
matter, their Iberian background.
24
Ibid, 52.
25
Ibid, 74.
26
Ibid, 62.
27
Ibid, 71.
28
Ibid, 71.
29
Ibid, 31.
30
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 57.
31
Ibid, 80.
32
Ibid, 202.

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The characters themselves are the first to question the possibility of such a Peninsular
unification occurring, but Saramago’s wonder and skill remain in his ability to turn narrative
improbability into an intangible possibility and moreover, into a parable. Subtly, the magical
stone which Sassa refers to above, might simply be a small word or deed on the part of a
single individual to turn the tide of public opinion and persuasion.
In the closing scenes of the narrative, one tempestuous seaside morning, Pedro Orce
takes his fellow companions to a stone ship which he had previously come across at the
beginning of his travels. In the storm, it has changed shape, is more rock than ship. Saramago
conjures this semi-mystical, semi-concrete edifice based upon a Christian story, from the
ether and centres it as metaphorical ballast for Iberianism. Even when faced with a religious
myth, Orce says pragmatically, “things depend upon what one accepts or refutes” 33. In
Saramago’s world, all is possible, all is probable, the narrative is suffused with ‘stone rafts’,
in a myriad of forms each of which bring new opportunities and options to the peoples of the
Iberian Peninsula – and for Saramago, the promise of a brighter future.
At the end of the novel, both the futures of the cast and the Peninsula itself remain in
darkness and unknown; at the mercy of the waves upon which the mammoth stone raft rides
and the hands of the politicians which control their respective societies. A new world with a
new state of being is formed. Saramago creates in this epic adventure an Iberian island nation
which awakens on the global horizon to impose itself on the world stage.
The themes which can be surmised from the narrative of such a tale are diverse and
interminable; from identity and perception, to the similarities and differences between human
beings; from human concerns and influences, to national and cultural stereotypes, myths and
allegories - as personal to each reader, as each ‘event’ is surreal to the characters in the novel.
But it is these very questions of place, identity, perception, social conformity and awareness,
which Saramago seems to reinforce.
In 1986, on the eve of Portugal and Spain’s respective ascension to the European
Community, the man, which writer and literary Harold Bloom called “the most gifted
novelist alive in the world today [...] one of the last titans of an expiring literary genre” 34 by
publishing this novel seemed to ask, ‘why’. In the novel he argues that, “there are various
degrees in which people can belong to a country which is naturally and administratively
theirs, as history has shown time and time again” 35. Time becomes a repeated catchphrase
within the narrative of the ‘Stone Raft’. It appears like a shadow and reinforces the concept
that all occurs – given time, with time and due to time. Saramago uses references to other
Iberianist literary greats such as author Fernando Pessoa to support his ideas. The character
Pedro Orce reflects upon the name of Pessoa’s great alter ego, Ricardo Reis, written in a
book. “That’s one of the effects of time, to blot out everything” 36 and “time is all that man
needs, the rest is nothing but illusion” 37.
Although actors in literary texts are often characterised, both in their appearance and in
their narrative role, according to conventions and indeed stereotypes regarding their national
background 38, the characters in the novel are notable not by their strong characterisation as
being from Portugal, Spain or from any other nation, but rather by their banality. Saramago’s
choice of stylisation of his characters is notable in that it reflects the plurality both of their
33
Ibid, 161.
34
Christopher Rollason. On the Stone Raft: Harold Bloom in Catalonia and Portugal. Harold
Bloom, 'El futur de la imaginació', Barcelona: Anagrama/Empúries, May 2002.
[Link]
35
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 81.
36
Ibid, 86.
37
Ibid, 78.
38
Joep Leerssen, “The Rhetoric of National Character: A programmatic survey.” Porter Institute for
Poetics and Semiotics. Poetics Today. 21:2 (Summer 2000), 268.

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appearance and natures (even language does not seem to impede their communication with
each other) and reinforces the similarities 39 between the Portuguese, Spanish and humanity as
a whole.
Saramago paints a caricature of the mechanisms which control social perception and
human nature, and outlines the idea that humans do not see reality, but rather they are
influenced by our own perceptions and preconceptions 40, such as the case of the Portuguese
versus the Spanish, and the Galician’s versus the Portuguese 41. The novel warns of the
dangers of emotions inherent in the creation of an ‘Iberia’. It hints that patriotism can be
misdirected and used ineffectively, in this instance, according to Saramago, in relation to the
Spanish and Portuguese. Via the conversations which the travellers in the novel have with
people they meet along their journey on the Peninsula, Saramago allows the reader to glimpse
his comprehension of the thoughts of the Iberian people and their dreams of job, home and
hearth which “must not be allowed to hinder the future” 42.
The idea that nations possess similarities is in direct conflict with stereotypes of
nations, individuals and pre-established identities. National characterisation is shaped in the
interplay between auto-image; what we think of ourselves and hetero-image; what others
think of us 43. Thus, in the same way that literature can reflect “cultural, national and ethnic
identity” novels such as ‘The Stone Raft’, can also reflect and shape “the awareness of entire
societies” 44.
Saramago subjects Pedro Orce and his fellow travellers to the concept of manifest
destiny and fate which infuses some Portuguese folk tales and fado music, “no one escapes
his fate” 45 and makes unification – no matter the reason or ‘coincidence’ 46 more probable.
Saramago and his characters set their united and unescapable future in the hands of fate.
“What has to be, has to be, and that carries a lot of weight which you can’t resist, Do you
believe in fate, I believe in what must be” 47 – thereby creating an unescapable if not distant
new world of Iberia.
The power of the written word is intrinsic to both the narrative and the nuanced beliefs
of Saramago himself. A man – and author who understands the power of the written word
cannot but choose his words carefully and with the sole target of clearly making his meaning
felt 48. Not only in words, such as 'fate, destiny and Iberianism, but also in his need to explain
the power and nuance of works in the narrative itself. ‘The Stone Raft’ can be said to be a
carefully sculpted allegory intended to persuade and convince, with language that has its own
meaning – or with language which we give meaning to.
Saramago’s ‘Stone Raft’ becomes a vessel for unifying forces and identities and a
platform upon which individuals can work together to resolve their common problems – as
the premise lays in the “freedom” 49 and ability to do so. The novel plays on memory and
nostalgia stressing that, “You can learn, forget and learn everything anew, when forced by

39
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 94.
40
Ibid, 108.
41
Ibid, 173.
42
Ibid, 111.
43
Joep Leerssen, Imagology: History and Method. Studia Imagologica. (Rodopi Publisher, 2007). 13:
27.
44
Joep Leerssen, “The Rhetoric of National Character: A programmatic survey.” Porter Institute for
Poetics and Semiotics. Poetics Today. 21:2 (Summer 2000), 268.
45
Ibid, 89.
46
Ibid, 97.
47
Ibid, 109.
48
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 188.
49
Ibid, 196.

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necessity” 50. In the context of this novel and of ‘Iberianism’ within the Iberian Peninsula,
Saramago seemingly nudges at the possibility of forgetting old fears and prejudices and a
new and unified beginning for Portugal and Spain.
In the novel, Saramago alludes to both time and duty, both strong forces on the
evolution of Iberianism within the Iberian Peninsula. Its popularity and structure has changed
with the passage of time and political and social upheaval. Saramago, optimistically and
discretely announces that “all they need is a little time ... time is all that man needs, the rest is
nothing but illusion” and further on the filial duty of a son to his parents – hinting at the
patriotic duty of a citizen to the motherland 51.

Conclusion

Just like Jason and his Argonauts, Iberianism can be seen to be José Saramago’s own
Golden Fleece. Both journeys allegorically and grandiosely rooted in literature and common
lore – but perhaps for Saramago it has been more so about the journey of his two favourite
nations Portugal and Spain. The Iberian Peninsula possesses a millennia of intertwined
history and cultures, and as the five travellers relate their histories and travel together
throughout the Peninsula 52, their interconnectedness is recognisable both to themselves and to
the Iberian people as a whole.
Saramago repeatedly takes up the thread of the passage of time, memory and
perception. “As the centuries pass, if they continue to pass, Europe will no longer remember a
time when she was great and sailed the seas” 53. He satirises the paternalistic view of Europe
towards Iberia, together with what he considers a negation of Iberian identity, by sarcastically
rejecting the condescending view held by European peoples 54 and condemning those that
deny either their own nationalist independence to opt for a continued partnership as part of
the European Community Nations 55.
Much like in the closing chapters of the narrative, theories abound as to the causes of
the separation and movement of the Iberian Peninsula and its seemingly directionless voyage
into the Atlantic. It transforms into a ship of journeys within a journey. “Journeys succeed
each other and accumulate like generations, between the grandson you were and the
grandfather you will be, what father will you have been. Therefore a journey, however futile,
is necessary” 56. Saramago draws a gridline on a map of Iberianism, a plotting outline for the
future.
As the ‘Stone Raft’ floats off into the ocean in the direction of the Americas,
Saramago’s 1986 Iberianism according to himself, is prophetically coming of age and
evolving to a more global level. Just as the ‘Stone Raft’ in the closing lines of the novel heads
toward the New World of the Americas, so too does Saramago himself equally concede the
significant importance of the coming together of all Luso and Hispanic speakers worldwide
and of Ibero-Americanism 57. In a world of globalisation, it has become imperative that we
understand how and why we believe and perceive what we believe, even if it is only one facet
of our human character. Novels such as ‘The Stone Raft’ become texts which establish a train

50
Ibid, 172.
51
Ibid, 78.
52
Ibid, 217.
53
Ibid, 125.
54
Ibid, 127.
55
Ibid, 129.
56
José Saramago, The Stone Raft (London: The Harvill Press, 2000), 200.
57
José Saramago, O outro lado da lua speech. I Encontro Internacional Becas Lider, 2007.

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of thought and that stimulate (as it did at the time and today) social reactions, political debate,
critical commentary and a much-needed introspective look of both self, place, and the society
in which we live.

Postscript

Within months of this article being written, the highly acclaimed and controversial
José de Sousa Saramago, patriotic Portuguese, staunch communist, outspoken freedom
fighter, loving humanist, author and dreamer sadly, passed away on Friday, the 18th of June,
2010 in his home on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, Spain. He was 87 years
old. His many works remain as a tribute to him, his vision for society and as a reminder for
us all to question and open our eyes to the world around us and to ourselves. Much like in
his stories he leaves us with the question, ‘What if?’

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bastenier, M.Á. Esp-ugal o Portu-paña. El País. 4 October 2006.

[Link]
(accessed July 17, 2009).

Bloom, Harold. Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds. New York,
2003.

Leerssen, Joep. Imagology: History and Method. Studia Imagologica. (Rodopi Publisher,
2007). 13: 17-32.

Leerssen, Joep. The Rhetoric of National Character: A programmatic survey. Poetics

Today. 21:2 (Summer 2000). Porter Institute for Poetics and Semiotics: 267-292.

Mora, Miguel. Iberia, capital Lisboa. El País. 22 July 2007.

[Link]
iint_1/Tes (accessed September 16, 2009).

Resendes Júnior, Marcio. José Saramago em Discurso Directo. Diário de Notícias. 7 June
2003.[Link]
%A9%20Saramago&seccao=GENTE (accessed April 13, 2009).

Rollason, Christopher. On the Stone Raft: Harold Bloom in Catalonia and Portugal. Harold
Bloom, 'El futur de la imaginació', Barcelona: Anagrama/Empúries, May 2002.
[Link] (accessed February 3, 2009).

Saramago, José. O outro lado da lua, speech sobre a identidade ibero-america. Fundação
José Saramago. I Encontro Internacional Becas Lider, Cartagenas das Índias,
Colômbia. 2007. [Link]
(accessed September 19, 2009).

Saramago, José. The Stone Raft, London: The Harvill Press, 2000.

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Gabriela Garcéz Pereira

School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies, University of Queensland
[Link]@[Link]

Gabriela Garcéz Pereira is completing her doctoral research at the University of

Queensland, School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies, where she is currently
studying Iberian literature in relation to the concept of Iberianism. She presented a paper on
this topic at the Rhizomes V: Diaspora: Language and Place Conference in 2010. She is

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also a Spanish immersion language teacher at Indooroopilly State High School and works
extensively with language teacher associations for the promotion of languages.

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