El hombre duplicado

Tertuliano Máximo Afonso, a history teacher in Lisbon, rents a film on a colleague's tip and spots an actor in a minor role who looks identical to himself. He becomes obsessed with tracking the man, discovering that he is an actor under the name Daniel Santa-Clara. When Tertuliano calls him and the two decide to meet, the encounter between them is a crisis for both. Saramago uses the situation to ask what remains unique about a person when a copy exists, and he writes with long paragraphs and little punctuation.

Fans of thought-provoking, slightly eerie novels will find a short read that also works as a thriller. Those who liked Borges or Kafka will feel at home.

Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?