The Navigators: A Journey in Search of Portugal's Lost Empire
About this ebook
In the 15th century, Portuguese sailors sailed ever further south, driven on by their king, Henry the Navigator, and a new type of ship, known for its agility, speed and capacity for sailing against the wind: the caravel. And in 1498, Vasco da Gama found the sea route to India - and the world was never the same again.
The Portuguese empire was the first global colonial empire - and the last. It stretched from Cape Verde to Goa, from Nagasaki to the Amazon, until it unravelled in the late 20th century. Following in the wake of the caravels, Erika Fatland takes us on an epic journey around the world to learn what traces the Portuguese left behind - architecture, language, culture and government.
A phenomenal number one bestseller in Norway, where it kept Knaussgaard himself off the top spot, The Navigators is a travelogue that spans centuries as readily as miles, and allows the readers to experience a whole swathe of disparate lands through a fresh new lens.
Translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson
"Fatland distinguishes herself from the stereotypes" Guardian
"A sensitive and insightful chronicler of quotidian lives and a compelling narrator" Observer
"A lovely writer with a sympathetic eye for the absurd" Financial Times
