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Biografia de "D. Henrique o Navegador" em inglês
Portugal’s Golden Years »The Life and Times of a Portuguese Prince
Book Review by Carlos Teodoro da Silva
One might think that a book detailing the life and times of a prince would be a snore. Portugal’s Golden Years The Life and Times of Prince Henry “The Navigator”, however, is a pleasant surprise. Unlike much historical biography, the narrative in this paperback isn’t a hard read. A reason for this, perhaps, is because author Carlos B. Carreiro delivers more adventure than historical and political jargon. The novel doesn’t parallel a textbook, which is refreshing.
Carreiro has an approach to his writing that reminds one of the ways a grandfather would hoist his grandchild onto his lap and recite stories memorized years before. Carreiro’s description is smooth, which makes it easy to get carried away with the text. When reading certain sequences of events, like the ancient battles in the Conquest of Ceuta, the book can be very hard to put down. Young children would enjoy listening to Carreiro’s text while pre-teens would find the book a manageable read.
People have the idea that text has to be complicated and tedious in order to teach something. However, in Portugal’s Golden Years one learns that before legendary discoverers such as Columbus, da Gama, or Magellan graced the open water, it was a young Portuguese Prince that created the conditions to operate voyages to the Western African Coast.
Carreiro’s biography about a Prince, who inspired seagoing mariners to realize their accomplishments at a time when superstitions and fear limited sea travel to unknown coastal waterways, is much more than just a life history. Carreiro’s manuscript also provides comprehensive insight into the tools used by the aged mariners, what artifacts they had at their disposal, and how the advances in the Art of Navigation came to be.
The book is a real eye opener. Just to reflect how ignorant we were at one point, to think the world was flat and that sea creatures lurked in the black waters below, circling with hungry eyes, while off the coast of Africa, the water boiled and devilish mist and fog levitated above the water’s surface, frightening any sailors who thought of approaching. Then, to have Carreiro, explain, scientifically, why the water bubbled in that particular place, and why the fog hung so low, in a way that doesn’t come across as a lecture, is just magnificent.
Portugal’s Golden Years also touches on some controversial subjects, mainly slavery. It is interesting to learn that the people of the time thought of slavery as a religious journey for the slaves, where a hard plight on earth was a small price to pay for eternal salvation. In a non-biased manner, Carreiro fully describes how the slaves were treated, what they had to do, and where the trade went from when it began.
The book itself sprouted from Carlos B. Carreiro’s interest in history, particularly when he researched the treasure ships that wrecked in the seas of the Azores, which coincidently happens to be where the author was born. Carreiro hopes that by reading Portugal’s Golden Years The Life and Times of Prince Henry “The Navigator”, Portugal will be promoted and that his fellow Portuguese who live around the world will be encouraged to show pride in their heritage. You can certainly sense the pride forming the words of Carreiro’s text.
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RE: Biografia de "D. Henrique o Navegador" em inglês
Por mais que aprenda inglês e nos façam querer que hoje em dia quem não souber inglês não se safa, ainda penso que ninguém pode obrigar outro a abdicar da sua própria língua. Como o poeta, acredito que a minha língua é a minha pátria. Se pensarmos que a existência de muitas línguas produz muitos inconvenientes é preciso lembrar que as diferenciações nasceram da necessidade. Se queremos um entendimento o melhor caminho é estudar as raízes (as genealogias de cada língua) e depois compreender as razões das diferenças. Não impor um ponto de vista mas enriquecer com o ponto de vista de todos.
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