Round Trip: The Emigrant's Journey

by Horácio Bento de Gouveia, Violet Long (Translation)

Extract from the preface by Duarte Mendonç (...) Horácio Bento de Gouveia (1901-1983), a native of Ponta Delgada, a village of the northern side of the Portuguese island of Madeira, is the most prominent Madeiran writer of the 20th century. During his lifetime he published several major works such as “Ilhéus” (1949), “Lágrimas Correndo Mundo” (1959), “Águas Mansas” (1963), “Canhenhos da Ilha” (1966), “Alma Negra e Outras Almas” (1972), “Torna-Viagem – O Romance do Emigrante” (1979), “Margareta” (1980) and “Luísa Marta”, published posthumously in 1986. Gouveia’s literary world revolves around the Madeiran reality of his time, both in his native Ponta Delgada or in Funchal, the island’s capital, and in his novels one can find the portrayal of several topics such as the long exploitation of the peasants by the land owners, the dark side of embroidery industry and emigration. A peculiar feature of his characters is the way in which they speak, for the author presents their dialogues in an almost phonetic transcription, thus contributing to the preservation of several expressions of the Madeiran unique dialect. Emigration is a common word in Madeira’s history throughout the centuries. Due to the limited size and resources of the island, the continuous increase of its population, the oppressive land exploitation system, poverty, the lack of job opportunities, several economic crisis, among other causes, the islanders always sought a better life abroad. Since mid 19th century Madeirans are known to have emigrated to several destinations such as Trinidad, Demerara, Sandwich Islands (nowadays known as Hawaii), Brazil, United States, Curaçao, South Africa, Venezuela, among other destinations. Around the mid 1900’s Venezuela was the favorite emigration destination for thousands of Madeirans, who saw it as their Promised Land, a country where they could make all their dreams come true and therefore a better living for themselves and a brighter future for their children. (...) And an extract by the (...) Professor Francis M. Rogers (1914-1989) mentioned Horácio Bento de Gouveia in his book Atlantic Islanders of The Azores and Madeiras (1979). As the grandson of immigrants from the Azores, it was his heritage that made him study and lecture on Portuguese language and literature in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures of Harvard University. In chapter 21 – High Culture (pp. 391-397), Horácio Bento de Gouveia is referred to as one of the most valuable writers of the 20th “A Madeiran example is the novelist Horácio Bento de Gouveia (born 1902) who in 1976 had the satisfaction of knowing that one of his novels, “Águas Mansas”, of 1963, had appeared in a German translation as “Stille Wasser von Madeira”…” The following is an extract from Professor Rogers’ work, including his own translation of extracts from the works of Horácio Bento de “... in 1966, the Junta General of Funchal itself published Bento de Gouveia’s collection of short prose pieces entitled “Canhenhos da Ilha” (Memories of the Island), with its poignant description of the island, (...)

224 pages, Paperback

Published March 12, 2016

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the great grandson of early 20th century emigrants from Madeira, this book touched me on a deep level. In addition to the beautifully written prose, Bento de Gouveia captures the essence of the hard working Madeiran people, and the difficult circumstances that led to hard decisions to leave their families and their homeland behind in search of a sustainable life. His storytelling of the life abroad that the characters faced was compelling and was both heart-warming and heart-rending.