Author's name: Jose Saramago

This is a novel by the Portuguese writer José Saramago, and is considered one of his most prominent literary works. The novel talks about a mysterious epidemic that strikes a city, where its people suddenly go blind, creating a wave of panic and chaos that leads to the army's intervention to control the situation. However, the situation becomes more tragic when the army abandons the helpless and weak crowds, which leads to gangs seizing the remaining food and medicine. People begin to fight among themselves. The story also highlights the human side of the doctor, his wife, and his family, who remained united until the disease disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. The novel talks about intellectual blindness, as the doctor's wife says at the end of the novel, "I don't think we are blind. I think we are blind who see, blind people who can see but do not see," also indicating that human morality and principles are fragile in the face of human deprivation.