Because Ideas Matter...
The faculty and staff of Butler University's College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences presents
Recommended Readings
The Elephant's Journey
by Jose Saramago, Harcourt, 2010
Reviewed by Eloise Sureau-Hale
When King Joao of Portugal and his wife
resolve to present Archduke Maximilian of Austria with a
matrimonial gift, they think big! What better way to show their
appreciation than to send a live elephant. Now the question that
arises is that of transport. No plane, no train, no large motorized
vehicles because it is 1551! So this is how Solomon the elephant
finds himself on a journey on foot from Lisbon to Vienna via
Valladolid, equipped with his own mahout, Subhro, and a gathering
of soldiers instructed to make sure the journey goes well and
safely. On the way, they will face many dangers and encounter
countless interesting people, from a Catholic priest set on
exorcizing Solomon to a young man lost in the woods whose path he
will find thanks to Solomon's trumpeting trunk. No matter who
crosses their path, people young and old will find themselves
changed by Solomon's sole presence and by Subhro's philosophy on
life. This posthumously published novel by Nobel Prize winner José
Saramago is deep, wise, sprinkled with rich dialogues, extremely
funny at times and most definitely a "must read." Reminiscent of
Hannibal's crossing of the Alps with a touch of Don Quichotte, the
story is a fascinating commentary on life which teaches us that we
all can learn worthwhile lessons, no matter where the teaching
comes from, even from an unassuming Hindu elephant keeper and a
large grey trumpeting pachyderm.
- Eloise Sureau-Hale is Associate Professor of French at Butler
University.