The death was reported elsewhere, see links from Google News, here.
Guardian. Xinhua. NYT.
Wapo, here. Wikipedia, with links, here.
I have not read Saramago, again I admit to limited awarenesses, but I now have a few of his novels reserved from the Rum River branch of Anoka County Library. Unable to read Portuguese, I rely on translator talent as well as the author. I have seen some very awful translations of European math texts, and I am aware that literary critics like to debate the best translations of Homer. I lack skills to enter that fray.
Saramago blogged, using Wordpress, Guardian giving this link.
Whatever criticism I have of Dan Erhart, he consistently has been supportive of the library system and leaves the librarians alone to run what they are trained in. That, in a politician, is commendable. There have been politicians who've advocated and perhaps even led book burnings, or so I am told. I've never been to any book burning. That's yet another personal limitation I admit to, so any readers with book-burning or extreme censorship experience are encouraged to send an email.
And while the county library system has a larger collection of the literary milestone works of James Dobson, PhD, than of Saramago, (they play to an audience), it can be argued Dobson is available without translation since he writes (and/or ghostwrites like Tim LaHaye) in his own variety of English.
Pynchon does that too. Some might say Pynchon's is harder to interpret, but deeper. Form your own opinion. I have found Pynchon's books longer, but easier to finish.
Finally, what keyed me into the awareness of Saramago, was the interesting quote, here:
I’ve always considered myself a quiet non-believer, because atheism as a public militancy seemed useless to me, but now I’m changing my mind. The reactionary insolence of the catholic church needs to be answered with the insolence of lively intelligence, of reason, of the responsible word. We can’t let the truth to be offended everyday by the self-proclaimed representatives of god on earth, whose only real interest is power. The church doesn’t care about the destiny of souls, what it has always pursued is control over the bodies. Reason can be an ethics. Let’s use it.
Were he not Portugese, but viewing those wrapping themselves in stars and sripes and florishing cross and eagle images, he might have said "self-appointed and co-annointed evangelicals" in place of "catholic church" and "control over the bodies, cash, and voting patterns," in place of only saying "control over the bodies."
In any event, "Reason can be an ethics. Let's use it."
__________UPDATE___________
John Ross, CounterPunch.