Where I Found It Quite Epic, Actually

The Lusiads by Luís de Camões
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this to be a very readable and entertaining epic poem, and while it represents a problematic period in history, it is remarkable art as well as a unique look into the 16th century mind.

The edition is excellent, with a great translation. It is still organized by 8-line stanzas, but instead of trying to make all the lines rhyme (which I would hate), the translator opted to only rhyme the final couplet of each stanza. It all reads like decently poetic prose, and with the bit of rhyming it still feels enough like a poem that you don't forget what you're reading. Nothing feels forced in the translation, which means that the reader isn't stumbling over tortured rhymes. Nice.

Also, this edition has a useful introduction and very helpful notes in the back. I tended to read with a finger in both parts, which maybe isn't ideal, but it is much nicer than ugly notes cluttering up every page. IMO. (Of course, if you really want to get the full experience, you could learn Portuguese and read the original. I don't feel like I have that kind of energy.)

Speaking of the work itself, I found it interesting and more dramatic than I expected. I'm not a big fan of introducing Greek gods into a story about overtly Christian men, but it makes sense considering the models the poet was following--especially Homer. The ocean voyage and interaction with various peoples just make a fun story. (My favorite part is where Venus arranges an island full of nymphs to be in the path of the ships on their homeward journey, rewarding the sailors with every comfort imaginable. It's pretty explicit, surprisingly.)

The story comes with its own set of problems, though. It tends to argue in favor of colonization, treating it as an honorable act, one bringing glory to Portugal. I found it fascinating to hear the thoughts of someone unironically supporting that kind of projection of power, but it's clear that even then some amount of rationalization is going on. Comões talks about the abuse of power in a number of places, condemning tyrants ("Passing laws in the interest of the king while the rights of the people are decreasing") and those who "uphold the law only to harass and despoil the poor." He talks about the cruelty of war, including how it affects those subjugated, but the key is that he seems only to really care when it's war between Christian nations:

You lay claim to other Christian lands
As if your own were not enough
So why not to Barbary and Egypt
Historic enemies of the sacred name?

Ultimately, it's spreading the religion which is used to legitimize empire-building, and I might be reading into it, but it seems like even the poet doesn't totally buy it, feeling a bit in the wrong; but colonizing and controlling and exploiting people that European Christians don't care about all that much isn't bad enough to worry about.

In any case, as poetry and story-telling, it's entertaining and impressive, and as a glimpse into the mind of another human in an important historic period, I found it enlightening.

Well worth reading, if you've got that kind of time. :)

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Where I Read a Good Book and Learned Some History

The Snare by Rafael Sabatini
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had read Scaramouche several years ago and was looking for another Sabatini novel to see if I liked it as much. Turns out, I do.

Set in Portugal in the time of the Napoleonic wars, when the British under Wellington were somewhat unwelcome guests and allies, it tells the story of an officer and his wife, her brother, his friend, some spies, and a few unfortunate events that could destroy all their lives. Sabatini does a wonderful job of establishing the setting and keeps larger events in the reader's mind while telling a smaller, more personal story.

This book is 100 years old, but the prose feels very modern. The action, from drawing room intrigues to sword fights, moves along at a gallop, not unlike a Sir Walter Scott novel, but his language is much more accessible. (That's not to say simple or bland--he's an excellent wordsmith. It's just that much clearer to a modern reader, IMO.)

Sabatini's characters are nicely drawn with comprehensible motivations and inner lives. I would say that they are appropriate to this kind of story, though probably less deeply developed than more dramatic novels of the era. He tells adventure stories, and I think the characters found here answer the need very well. The upright and loyal Captain Tremayne is betrayed by his honorable but jealous friend, Sir Terence, while trying to save his foolish wife's equally foolish brother from a court martial and firing squad. I found their behavior believable and very readable--and wonder at his books' obscurity. (I pretty much picked this one at random off Ebay. It was the most reasonably priced hardcover available of Sabatini books.)

I enjoyed this book and found the conclusion very satisfying. Time to go hunt down some of his pirate books and other adventures. :)

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