The Portuguese

Description

Though a founding member of NATO and the euro, Portugal remains an often-overlooked country on Europe’s southwestern edge. In The Portuguese, veteran journalist Barry Hatton blends historical insight with personal anecdotes to explore this enigmatic nation.

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Portuguese explorers led Europe into the Atlantic and helped connect Asia with Europe, creating a vast four-continent empire. The legacy of that era still resonates today, particularly through the Portuguese language, spoken by over 220 million people worldwide. Hatton examines Portugal’s vibrant yet turbulent past—from the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which shook European thinking and marked the start of a long decline, through António Salazar’s twentieth-century dictatorship, to the 1974 Carnation Revolution which ended that regime, briefly thrusting Portugal into Cold War geopolitics. Hatton also explores the country’s complex ties with neighbouring Spain, and with its oldest ally, England.

Boasting diverse landscapes, rich cultural heritage, a love of food, an easy-going lifestyle and a rebellious streak, the Portuguese are uniquely compelling. Hatton’s portrait is intimate and revealing, capturing the charms and contradictions of a fascinating country.

Reviews

‘Hatton clearly loves Portugal … engaging, often delightful.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘A must-read for first-timers … [and] a constant delight for those already well-versed in a fascinating nation.’ — Iberosphere

Author(s)

Barry Hatton has been a British foreign correspondent in Lisbon for over three decades. He is the author of Queen of the Sea: A History of Lisbon and The Portuguese: A Modern History (both published by Hurst).