The painter paints, the musician makes music, the novelist writes novels. But I believe that we all have some influence, not because of the fact that one is an artist, but because we are citizens. As citizens, we all have an obligation to intervene and become involved, it’s the citizen who changes things. I can’t imagine myself outside any kind of social or political involvement. Yes, I’m a writer, but I live in this world and my writing doesn’t exist on a separate level. And if people know who I am and read my books, well, good; that way, if I have something more to say, then everyone benefits.
-José Saramago
LISBON, Portugal—Writer José Saramago, 1990. © Jean Gaumy / Magnum Photos
Taking pictures is like fishing or writing. It’s getting out of the unknown that which resists and refuses to come to light.
-Jean Gaumy