Shores, Horizons, Voyages...

The Portuguese have always had a special relationship with the sea. Historically a nation of master mariners and navigators, the people of this small coastal country were among the first Europeans with a presence in Asia, reaching India, Malaysia, Vietnam, South China, Macau and Japan early in the s [...]
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The Portuguese have always had a special relationship with the sea. Historically a nation of master mariners and navigators, the people of this small coastal country were among the first Europeans with a presence in Asia, reaching India, Malaysia, Vietnam, South China, Macau and Japan early in the sixteenth century. The impact of these courageous voyagers is felt in the region to the present day, in the colonial remains of Goa, Malacca, Macau and elsewhere, as well as in the written language of the Vietnamese. Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen was one of the most loved and respected poetic voices in modern Portuguese literature. Throughout her long career, her writing, like the life and history of her people, returned to and revolved about the sea. In this new anthology, the reader may sample the words of this eloquent yet approachable literary voice, drawn from works written over a span of some 50 years of her prolific career. "Poetry," she once explained, "is my understanding with the universe, my way of relating to things, my participation in reality, my encounter with voices and images.That is why the poem speaks not of an ideal life but of a concrete one: the angle of a window, the resonance of streets, cities and rooms, the shade cast by a wall, a sudden face, the stars' silence, distance and brightness, the night's breathing, the scent of the linden and of oregano."