Books on Portugal
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Travel
by Darwin
Porter & Danforth
Prince
(John
Wiley & Sons)
ISBN: 076456563X
448pp
Frommer's Portugal offers a comprehensive, jaunty, cosmopolitan
commentary on the how-tos and attractions of Portugal in an accessible
format. Frommer's forte is its practicality, typified by a standard
approach to information delivery that makes for almost instant familiarity
with the layout. Also, it has scattered through it 'Tips', 'Finds'
and 'Did You Knows?' of the kind that can make all the difference
to the traveler at the time. It is especially strong on accommodation
and dining, suiting those who can afford to travel well; although
the clear hierarchy of pricing it offers is useful for those on
a budget too. Notwithstanding an excellent 'Portugal in Depth' appendix,
this is the one for those with the means to travel well, and who
value their pleasures as much as their edification.
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by Mark
Ellingham, John Fisher, Graham Kenyon
(Rough
Guides, 2002),
ISBN: 1858288770
632pp
The Rough Guide to Portugal – far from being rough
- is printed on good paper, has some excellent photos, and plentiful
maps. With its erudite, more wordy style – not to mention
its smaller font – it requires a more scholastic take. Unlike
the Frommer’s, this one is more for plane and hotel room planning
sessions than it is for the road. But for those who prefer a guide
that takes the time to engage you in some detailed narrative and
comes with a turn of phrase, as opposed to just bytes, the Rough
Guide will take you conscientiously through the height and breadth
of the country, body and soul, leaving few stones unturned.
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by Mathew Hancock
(Rough
Guides, 2003),
ISBN: 1858289068
338pp
If your journey to Portugal is confined to Lisbon and its immediate
environs this handy pocket guide could be the answer. The guide
covers the city's main sites with interesting listings on Lisbon's
nightlife, entertainment and sports scenes. There are some good
color maps at the end of the book and details on day-trip destinations:
Sintra, Estoril and Cascais.
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by Pam
Barrett et al
(Apa
Publications; Insight
Guides)
ISBN: 9812340890
394pp
Insight Guides' formula of quality photography and in-depth essays
are ideal for pre-trip planning, a relaxing read in your hotel or
as a memento of your journey when you return home. The Portugal
guide has some expert and very readable essays on a variety of topics
including detailed explorations of Portuguese wine, food and history.
The book is handily color-coded to ease the readers's navigation
through the regional travel sections, essays and useful info. Though
aimed at a more upmarket traveller, the 'Travel Tips' section at
the end of the book is a practical bank of information for travellers
on any budget. Recommended for the stunning photography alone.
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by Marion
Kaplan
(Apa
Publications; Insight
Guides)
ISBN: 0887298923
92pp
Well written by Marion Kaplan, author of 'The Portuguese: The Land
and Its People', Insight’s updated Pocket Guide stands out
for its interesting approach of suggested itineraries for the Lisbon
visitor: three full-day tours of the city’s main attractions
and nine more specialized half-day walkabouts covering the rather
less mainstream sights such as Queluz, the city’s gardens
and the south bank of the Tejo. There also useful sections on history
and culture, excursions, shopping, festivals and practical info,
supported as always by excellent photos and a detachable city map
in the back cover. Recommended.
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by Andrew M. Torres, Editor
(Let's
Go Travel)
ISBN: 0312305958
832pp
This is Let's Go's latest on the Iberian Peninsula, which also
includes a section on Morocco. At over 800 pages, this is a comprehensive
guide tailored for the backpacker. It is written and edited by and
for college students. It is very strong in its sections on how to
prepare prior to departure, where to stay, health, and in articles
on areas of interest (eg, Pedro Almodovar, bullfighting, etc.).
Good maps and up to date telephone numbers and listings make this
a practical addition to anyone's travel kit.
In places, the guide has a gee-whiz quality that some might
find irritating.
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by Julia
Wilkinson & John
King
(Lonely
Planet)
ISBN: 1864501936
488 pp
Lonely Planet has done an excellent job. The first 100-plus pages
of this guide are devoted to Facts About Portugal and Facts for
the Visitor. This reviewer had never given a thought to, for example,
Portugal's Architecture but it made for a great read. There are
highly detailed sections on, among others, transportation and dining.
The guide is then broken into regional sections, with the longest
and perhaps best on Lisbon. Highly recommended.
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by Martin
Symington
(Dorling
Kindersley, 2000)
ISBN: 0751304069
480 pp
Dorling Kindersley’s lavish Portugal with Madeira &
the Azores confines everything typically ‘practical’
to a 75-page appendix. While the information included in it is indeed
ruthlessly practical (accommodation, dining, using phones, breakdown
services, rail info, photos of police, etc.) the overwhelming thrust
of the book is to present the country’s cultural, historical
and natural attractions in as comprehensive yet easily digestible
a form as possible. Glossy and jam-packed with photos, this is the
tourist brochure cum mini-encyclopedia of Portugal guide books,
providing such intensive pictorial coverage of the country’s
traditions and treasures that it arguably takes the element of surprise
out of it. A little lacking in written detail, this is for the intelligent
traveler who nevertheless prefers to wield the camera than write
up the notes. Great for those on a tour, especially if also headed
for Madeira and the Azores.
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Fiction
by Jose
Saramago
(Harvest)
ISBN: 0156007134
452pp
Jose Saramago came to the attention of the world as a giant of
Portuguese writing when he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in
1998. His novels, while brilliantly imaginative, are pessimistic
in tone, and find their major themes in the importance of memory
and communion with the past. Journal to Portugal is written
in the same vein, as its subtitle: ‘In Pursuit of Portugal’s
History and Culture’ suggests. This is emphatically not
a book for those wishing to prepare themselves for a trip to Portugal.
It demands total surrender to the ego of the ‘the traveler’,
and a corresponding commitment to the minutiae of his rueful trudge
across country from village to village, church to church (to church!)
and museum to museum. Think gray whimsy - over 400 pages of it.
For die hard fans of the great man only.
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Food
by
Lynelle Scott-Aitken, Clara de Macedo Vitorino
(Lonely
Planet)
ISBN: 1864501111
286 pp
If there’s one thing that a travel cum gastronomy guide
book should do, it is make you want to go there and eat, and Lonely
Planet’s “World Food Guide - Portugal” does that
with gusto. It makes all the essential distinctions and provides
plenty of background information on history and culture as well
as current trends and curiosities. Drawing you into a world of long-unchanged
culinary traditions, it leaves you begging to be transported there
in time for the lunchtime special.
Though this guide will offer little comfort to vegetarians or weight
watchers, Portugal comes across as a treasure trove for those willing
to avoid tourist restaurants and investigate working-class haunts.
Bold flavours and big helpings are served up in unpretentious surroundings
from the social melting pot of the taberna to rustic smokehouses
hung with whole hams - just don’t ask for a salad.
With a special section devoted to regional differences, complete
with maps, this book will be of special interest to the traveller
who wants to explore the provinces, where great local ingredients
fuse with methods handed down through the ages. Wine producing regions
too get a look in but the focus is very much on the food. With the
aid of a large selection of photographs, the Lonely Planet guide
paints a colourful picture of what it is to appreciate, understand
and enjoy the culture behind Portuguese cuisine.
An ample glossary of useful phrases will help gastronomic adventurers
find what they are looking for and a scattering of tantalising recipes
are provided as inspiration for budding chefs. What this guide does
not contain however, are the names and addresses of particular eateries.
What you get is a basic tour of the kinds of establishments you
are likely to come across and plenty of encouragement to delve in.
Will Yong
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Language
by Clara de Macedo Vitorino
(Lonely
Planet Phrasebooks)
ISBN: 0864425899
332pp
With brief language and vocabulary sections devoted to most situations
the casual Portugal traveller might encounter, the LP Portuguese
Phrasebook is a handy edition to your luggage. There are set phrases
for travellers of all descriptions: campers, clubbers, cyclists,
the disabled, drinkers, gays, internet surfers, job-seekers, shoppers
even vegetarians. There is also a football section of use to visitors
who take in a bit of football with their holidays, they can pick
up such gems as 'O árbitro estava comprado' ('The
ref was bought') and less usefully 'Vamos sazer a onda' ('Let's
do the Mexican wave').
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by Lexus with Norma de Oliviera Tait
(Rough
Guides Phrasebooks)
ISBN: 1858286441
272pp
Rough Guide's neatly designed and easily portable Dictionary Phrasebook
opens which some very useful introductory grammar sections and then
splits into the main English-Portuguese and the shorter Portuguese-English
dictionary.
The English-Portuguese section features brief situational dialogues
such as 'getting on a train' and 'having a film developed' as well
as feature boxes with useful tourist and cultural information connected
with particular words and phrases, which will be familiar to Rough
Guide readers. The imitated pronounciation guide is well done and
certainly helps, for this reviewer at least, with Portuguese's devilish
pronounciation.
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 Art
by Michael Tannock
(Phillimore)
ISBN: 0850333121
352pp
When one thinks of 20th century art, the countries Spain, France,
USA, England, even Germany and Holland will probably come to mind.
Portugal is unlikely to be thought of. In fact you may be hard-pressed
to think of even one modern Portuguese artist, which is a shame,
as there is a lot of vibrant art being produced there. Part of the
problem is that there is little in the way of books on Portuguese
modern Art. This book is the exception. It covers more than 2,000
artists in the period 1900 to 1974, and is organized as a biographical
dictionary. As a reference work on modern Portuguese art, this book
has no competitors. The information on each artist is factual, avoiding
opinion and value judgment. Half the book is given over to photos
of the works, including almost 100 superb color plates. Modern art
came late to Portugal, and when it did it was, as in other countries,
influenced by artists returning from studying in Paris, perhaps
the most important being Amadeu de Souza-Cardosa. In sculpture the
most significant on the direction Portuguese sculpture was to take
was Francisco Franco, who also studied in Paris. As in the rest
of Europe, the period after World War 2 saw an explosion of new
styles, but figurative painting dominated for a while, typified
by the work of Joao Hogan and Julio Resende. In the 60's there was
another upsurge of diversity, but this time the influence was more
by Portuguese artists studying in England, such as the sculptor
Joao Cutileiro. If you are planning on visiting any galleries on
your trip to Portugal, this book will be most valuable, as it includes
a list of galleries by town, or if you simply want to explore a
little known area of modern art, I would highly recommend it.
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by John Pollack
Pantheon
Books
ISBN: 0375422579
291pp
Former Washington speechwriter John Pollock—burned out on
the hypocrisy and hyperbole of Beltway blather—took a year’s
sabbatical from his job with Representative David Bonior to fulfill
a childhood dream. That dream was to build a boat completely from
wine corks, a whole lot of wine corks, and then sail it down Portugal’s
Douro River: the home of cork. This “creative sabbatical”
from the very real world of politics would be, according to the
author, the “antithesis of everything Washington.”
Thus, at age 33, Pollack set out on a quixotic adventure to realize
a dream that he had nurtured since childhood. He began collecting
corks from an early age. Raised in a home where expectations not
rules held sway, his parents cultivated a sense of adventure in
their children. This was done mainly through their work in Michigan
politics and in family travels around the world. On one such trip,
in India, tragedy struck on a river. Pollack lost his sister when
she fell into and was swept down the rapids never to be found. Part
of Pollack’s obsession clearly dates to this incident, which
occurred when he was eleven.
In order to build the boat, he went around to Washington restaurants
to collect their used corks to add to his twenty-year collection.
Large donations—of both used corks and new rubber bands—made
it possible to complete the cork boat. Made up of 165,321 corks,
and built with his childhood best friend, the boat was shipped to
Portugal in 2002. There, Pollack and friends and family spent 17
days navigating the Douro River. The book is a lovely read that
combines purpose, the overcoming of great obstacles, and a sense
of what is possible. In a cynical age, this is a refreshing and
even inspiring work. It includes asides on President Clinton; for
whom Pollack worked; the writer’s family; Portugal; cork;
rubber bands; and more. Beautifully written.
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