The collection of everyday instructive anecdotes “The Stone Raft,” in allegorical form, tells of the relationship between Europe and Portugal—“a Portugal that will no longer make any great discoveries and is doomed only to an endless wait for an unknown future.” This fantasy is “the result of a ‘collectively subconscious Portuguese’ resentment over Europe’s neglect.”
A fantastic situation is described: the Iberian Peninsula has separated from the continent, turning into a huge floating island that drifts on its own to the other side of the Atlantic. The heroes of “The Stone Raft” are two women, three men, and a dog, wandering across the island floating in the ocean.