In his account, Saramago portrays his aunt's husband as a man who exercised dominance at home, but who was extremely polite and flattering to those above him in the social hierarchy. One particular instance that stands out is when Francesco Denis placed a guest's child on a horse to ingratiate himself with the child's family. He walked ahead of the horse, amusing the indulged child, while José, the child in particular, stood in the distance, frustrated and ashamed. 

Aníbal Cavaco Silva, who was then the Prime Minister of Portugal, took advantage of the controversy! The Portuguese government and the Vatican pressured the European Union to withdraw the novel's nomination for the Aristeion Prize for Literature. This incident set a precedent since it was the first novel to be confiscated after the country's return to democracy following the 1974 revolution. It is noteworthy that just as Saramago's novel was excluded from the prize due to censorship, another novel that also suffered from censorship, James Joyce's Ulysses, won the prize in the same year, in a translation by the Greek Sokrates Kapsaskis. It is worth noting that Ulysses was banned in the United States for being 'sensual and erotic'. Nevertheless, the ban was lifted by court judge John M. Woolsey in December 1933, and the full version was published for the first time! 

During this period, Saramago was persona non grata. The right-wing Portuguese government aimed to dissociate itself from the legacy of the Socialists and the period in which they governed the country. However, it is worth noting that Saramago was one of the symbols of that era, which makes his work all the more fascinating! Despite some disagreements with his views, the Portuguese right could have shown more respect towards José Saramago, even after his death, when the Portuguese President refused to attend his funeral because of his anti-Catholic opinions, preferring to spend the day in a luxurious resort, perhaps to celebrate the death of Saramago! 

However, after moving to Lanzarote, Saramago converted his frustration into driving energy, as he had done all his life. The child was born into difficult circumstances and faced many challenges. Despite these obstacles, he showed remarkable intelligence. Unfortunately, his family could not support his education, and he was forced to work as a mechanic. He even had to endure the discomfort of cockroaches crawling over his body at night. Still, he began to qualify himself as a journalist, then as a translator, and eventually, when he was over the age of fifty, he began to write in earnest, because, as Saramago says, it is not useful to regret things, it is useful to change them.