So many books, so little time...
1.The Plague by Albert Camus
Published in 1947, the book narrates a strange phenomenon that had been occurring in Oran, in Algeria (French province) ever since 1940.
The protagonist of this fantastic chronicle is Dr. Bernard Rieux. It all starts when the latter finds a dead rat in the hallway of the building where he lives. He mentions it to the doorman of the building, who believes that it is a kind of prank. The doctor also notices other rats lying dead in the garbage cans of poor neighborhoods, while the whole city talks about these rats coming out of the sewers due to the hunger that plagues their species.
2.The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
Also known as Human Comedy (l'Umana Commedia). The book includes 100 stories told by a group of seven young women and three young men who have taken refuge in a secluded villa just outside Florence to escape the Black Death, which plagues the city. Boccaccio probably conceived the idea for the Ten Days shortly after the 1348 epidemic and completed it in 1353.
3.Blindness by Jose Saramago
A man suddenly loses his sight. Cases of sudden blindness escalate, and the government decides to quarantine the blind. With bureaucratic precision, Jose Saramago has calculated everything that could happen in a world that is losing its sight. How long will the road traffic be smooth? How long will the food be enough for hungry hordes? How long does it take for the power, gas and water supply to collapse? What will happen to pets? Sexual restrictions? And finally: In a world of blinds, what would you do if you could see?
4.A Journal Of The Plague Year by Daniel Defoe
First published in March 1722, it's the diary of a man's experiences during 1655 when the bubonic plague struck the city of London in what become known as the Great Plague of London, the last such epidemic in that city.
5.Love In Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
First published in 1985 narrates the endless love between Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza. Marquez tries to make a connection between lovesickness and cholera. Love can be such a dreadful and fatal illness as cholera.
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