A publishing phenomenon in Germany—where it surpassed two and a half million copies sold and remained on the lists of major publications for years—Night Train to Lisbon transcended the boundaries of literature. The third novel by Pascal Mercier, actually the philosophy professor Peter Bieri, took on the air of an idiomatic expression, used to describe life changes. Mercier creates an emblematic character, the Portuguese Amadeu do Prado. A literary hero with the sole purpose of portraying his creator. An invention so perfect that, in recent years, many foreigners have traveled to Portugal in search of the fictional writer. It all begins on a rainy morning, when Raimundo Gregorius, a learned man and professor of classical languages, prevents a woman from throwing herself off a bridge in Bern. The professor is captivated by the sounds of the suicidal woman's incoherent babbling. Upon asking what language she is speaking, he discovers it is Portuguese. Mesmerized by the musicality of the language, he ends up buying a book by Portuguese author Amadeu Inácio de Almeida Prado, entitled *A Goldsmith of Words*. A reflection on life's multiple experiences: solitude, finitude and death, friendship, love, and loyalty. Fascinated by Prado, Gregorius tries to understand the mysterious writer, a doctor who died 30 years earlier. His obsession leads him to abandon his well-organized routine and take the night train to Lisbon, a discovery of the other that ultimately becomes a discovery of himself. Throughout his investigations, which lead him through the backstreets of the Portuguese capital, he encounters people who knew Prado. He builds the image of an admirable doctor and poet who fought against Salazar. He enjoyed enormous popularity until he saved the life of a secret police officer. After that, those who venerated him began to shun him. In an attempt to redeem himself, he worked for the underground opposition. Gregorius discovers himself to be the antithesis of Prado, a restless man capable of challenging orthodox viewpoints. Now, through his posthumous influence, the prudent professor is driven to change. But what does it mean to know another person, to understand another life? What does it mean for self-knowledge? Is it possible to escape the routine? This novel is a multifaceted epic of a journey through Europe and of our thoughts and feelings.
