The functions of art and literature, the role of criticism and the influences of western culture and life itself form the foundation of this novel by José Saramago, with the final phase of the Salazar regime serving as the backdrop. A unique book in contemporary literature presented with paperback covers in this very rare first edition by Moraes Editores. Acclaimed for its autobiographical slant, it foreshadows the paths that would follow the work of the only Nobel Prize Literature winner in the Portuguese language. History and everyday experiences merge in his complex and captivating writing, revealing the substance of art itself. Passionate and captivating, Manual de Pintura e Caligrafia is truly a book for enjoying and reflecting upon from the first to the last page just as Saramago always did.