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The Tale of the Unknown Island

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"The Tale of the Uncharted Island"
First edition
AuthorJosé Saramago
Original titleO Conto da Ilha Desconhecida
TranslatorMargaret Jull Costa
IllustratorBartolomeu Dos Santos
LanguagePortuguese
GenreShort story
PublisherAssirio & Alvim (Portugal)
The Harvill Press (UK)
Harcourt Brace (US)
Publication date
1997
Publication placePortugal
Published in English
November 1999
Media typePrint
Pages42 pp

"The Tale of the Unknown Island" (Portuguese: O conto da ilha desconhecida) is a short story by Portuguese author José Saramago. It was published in Portuguese in 1997, and in English translation by Margaret Jull Costa in 1999.

Plot

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A man requests the king of his country to give him a boat so he can go in search for "the unknown island". The king questions him about the existence of such an island and tries to convince the man that all islands already appear on maps. The man states that only the known islands do. This debate concludes with the king granting him a boat.

Adaptation

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An adaptation was staged at the Gate Theatre, Notting Hill in September/October 2017.[1]

References

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  1. ^ "The Unknown Island – Gate Theatre". Retrieved 28 May 2020.