The Stone Raft
First edition
AuthorJosé Saramago
Original titleA Jangada de Pedra
CountryPortugal
LanguagePortuguese
PublisherCaminho (Portugal)
Harcourt Brace (US)
Publication date
1986
Published in English
1994
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN0-15-185198-0
OCLC31865403
869.3/42 20
LC ClassPQ9281.A66 J313 1995

The Stone Raft (Portuguese: A Jangada de Pedra) is a novel by Portuguese writer José Saramago.[1][2] It was written in 1986, and was translated into English by Giovanni Pontiero in 1994. The premise of the novel is that the Iberian Peninsula has broken off the European continent and is floating freely in the Atlantic Ocean;[3] bureaucrats around the world are forced to deal with the traumatic effects, while five characters from across Portugal and Spain are drawn ever closer to one another, embarking on a journey within the peninsula as the landmass journeys itself.

A Spanish-language film version entitled La Balsa de Piedra was released in 2002. A Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese co-production, it was directed by Dutch director George Sluizer.

In 2021 it came to light that many lyrics of singer-songwriter Noel Gallagher of Oasis bear a strong resemblance to various lines from the novel, leading fans to believe that the book may have served as a device of lyrical inspiration throughout his songwriting career, in particular in the 1996 song 'Underneath The Sky'.[4]

References

  1. ^ Neary, Lynn (18 June 2010). "Jose Saramago, Nobel-Winning Novelist, Dies At 87". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. ^ "The Stone Raft?". The Economist. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  3. ^ "The Stone Raft". www.publishersweekly.com. Publishers' Weekly. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  4. ^ Hargreaves Guitar, James. "MYSTERY SOLVED: Noel Gallagher's Secret Lyric Book & Songwriting Strategy Revealed!". Youtube. James Hargreaves Guitar. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
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