The Elephant's Journey

By José Saramago

Subjects: Voyages, Vienna (austria), fiction, fiction, Human-animal relationships, Fiction, historical, Fiction, historical, general, Romans, nouvelles, Interpersonal relations, Continental european fiction (fictional works by one author), elephants, Voyages and travels, portuguese fiction, Fiction, Elephants, History, historical fiction, Relations homme-animal, Éléphants, Portugal, fiction

Description: From back cover: In 1551, King Joao III of Portugal gives Archduke Maximilian an unusual wedding present: an elephant named Solomon, along with his keeper, Subhro. The two have been living in dismal conditions, forgotten in a corner of the palace grounds. ... Accompanied by the archduke, his new bride, and the royal guard, our unlikely heroes traverse a continent riven by the Reformation and civil war. They make their way through the storied cities of northern Italy ... They brave the Alps and the terrifying Isarco and Brenner passes ... At last, their extraordinary journey ends with a grand entry into the Imperial city of Vienna.