Saramago’s intriguing novel ‘Death at Intervals’

The place, covered in morning mist, exudes an eerie charm. The land speaks to us in the language of fragrance punctuated by vastness and timelessness. It is The Land of the Frankincense, where for centuries humans and trees, especially the Boswellia species, enjoyed a beautiful and subliminal way of coexistence.

Only very rarely we get to see an image that captures so effortlessly this mutual awe and sense of fulfilment as in Terence Gilbert’s oil on board rendition of frankincense trees in Dhofar. You can’t ignore the deep reverence and intimacy those men in dazzling white dish-dasha display as they go about harvesting the resin from the trees. We can’t say for sure if it’s the humans or the trees that dominate the scene. It’s pure harmony.

Interestingly, across centuries, humans never succeeded in breaking the spell cast by these trees with their enchanting woody scent. Priced higher than gold, frankincense easily started off a bustling trade across the Arabian Peninsula, centuries ago. And Oman features prominently in this historical narrative, as the land where the purest or the best type of frankincense, Boswellia sacra, is grown. Not everywhere in Oman, though, but in the Dhofar mountain ranges located in the Sultanate’s southern part only.

And it’s not just the fragrance that matters. Frankincense has been traditionally used to cure a wide range of diseases such as fever, coughs, indigestion, ulcers and hypertension. It was also used as a health booster by women after childbirth. It also makes an excellent toothpaste and food flavour enhancer. Beyond all this, it is an effective insect-repellent.

The Land of Frankincense in Oman is on the Unesco’s World Heritage List. It includes the frankincense trees of Wadi Dawkah, the remains of Wubar’s caravan oasis, and the ports of Khor Rori and Al Baleed. It was recognised on account of multiple aspects including scope for capacity building and regional tourism development, increased

What if death looks like what many cultures pictured it, a skeleton in a cloak with a scythe? What if it’s a female that insists on writing her initial in lower case ‘death’ to distinguish her from ‘Death’ that ends the universe? What if she becomes considerate and starts sending violet colour envelopes to inform people to get prepared a week before their demise? What if she discovers that she’d missed out — by mistake — a person in particular? How would she react? This is what José Saramago — the Portuguese writer and Nobel prize winner — imagines in his 2008 novel “Death at Intervals”.

But before the reader’s surprising encounter with “death”, Saramago starts his novel by inviting them to imagine a more intriguing scenario: what if death decides to take a break for six months and grant people a taste of their ultimate dream: immortality? These events take place in a land-locked country — that is not named — and the consequences are seen from different perspectives: government, funeral and old people’s homes, insurance companies, religious institutions and media.

Although the idea of immortality is tempting but it has its own price: endless suffering of the terminally ill, wounded and dying old people. Humanity faces moral dilemmas that come with the absence of death: How would people react to immortality when time doesn’t stop and eternal youth is not granted? What rights do families have to end the suffering of their loved ones? How would religion deal with a job opportunities for locals, and a defined sense of identity for the community.

In this context, it’s quite interesting to note a new development. The launch of an effective Frankincense community outreach programme and tree planting campaign. An initiative of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO), Oman’s premium not-forprofit environmental agency, in partnership with Neal’s Yard Remedies, an acclaimed international natural and organic health and beauty brand.

The long-term project aims to nurture the trade, culture and knowledge associated with Omani frankincense trees (in particular the Boswellia sacra), and revive traditional best practices.

The campaign started off in Sadah, Salalah, with the distribution of over 500 Boswellia sacra seedlings among local farmers, harvesters and others. The next focus has been identified as Mirbat. The project puts great stress on developing an environmentally responsible and sustainable agricultural strategy while respecting tradition. situation that’s against one of its most important pillars: resurrection? This gives rise to the Maphia (spelled this way to distinguish them from the real Mafia), who’d find a way to get rid of the dying with the blessings of the government and their families.

Saramago’s satire style makes it hard to ponder without a big fascinated smile on your face (I actually lined many of the phrases that I either liked or found extremely funny, especially within the conversations between different characters).

What made Saramago’s writing unique is its lack of traditional structure and speech form. There are no quotation marks and the only way to distinguish between different speakers is the use of capitalisation at the start of the sentence. The novel is outstanding and one of the best I’ve read this year (along with

The project is all the more significant considering the alarming decline in Boswellia sacra tree population mainly due to over-harvesting. Grazing and insect infestations have also played a role. Adding to the concern is the lack of public awareness about how frankincense forms a key link in Oman’s rich culture and heritage, and also local economy. The project envisages a lot of education and participation opportunities for the locals and others.

This is not the first time that ESO is working on Oman’s frankincense, though. Way back in 2010, it successfully commenced a Frankincense Research and Conservation initiative that undertook among others the monitoring of Boswellia sacra trees to determine harmless tapping methods.

While Terence’s art speaks for the trees in its own language and tone, conservation projects like that of ESO, and greater awareness about the cultural significance of the endearing frankincense could make the dialogue — between the trees and humans — easier.

Frankenstein in

Ahmed Saadawi’s Baghdad).

Similar to his writings, Saramago was extraordinary. He’s most known for his book: Blindness that was published in 1995 and adapted into a Hollywood movie by the same name, starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. And like many famous Nobel Prize receivers, he’d faced difficulties related to his writings. His book: The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (published in 1992) was considered controversial and ordered to be removed from Aristeion Prize’s shortlist by the Government of Portugal that found it ‘religiously offending’.

Feeling disheartened, Saramago went into exile on the Spanish Island of Lanzarote till his death in 2010. Being a humanist, Saramago believed that human conditions would be improved by love. He was a critic of the European Union and International Monetary Fund policies. He was also interested in the Middle East politics, visiting Ramallah in 2002 and condemning the Israeli government and the Lebanon war in 2006. He founded the Jose Saramago Foundation in 2007 that aimed to defend and spread the declaration of human rights. Other aims were spreading culture in Portugal and protection of the environment. Saramago was described by The Guardian as the “finest Portuguese writer of his generation”. His books were translated into 25 languages and sold more than 2 million copies in Portugal alone.

Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of: The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com