This profound novel by Nobel laureate José Saramago reimagines the life of Ricardo Reis, one of Fernando Pessoa's heteronyms, after Pessoa's death. Set in Lisbon in 1936, Reis, a doctor and poet, returns from Brazil and finds himself in a city grappling with political turmoil. He engages in deep philosophical conversations with Pessoa's ghost, exploring themes of mortality, identity, memory, fate, and the very nature of existence. Saramago's distinctive narrative style, marked by long sentences and an absence of quotation marks, creates an immersive and contemplative experience, inviting readers into a meditative journey on the human condition and the complexities of life under an authoritarian regime.