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The First Global Village: How Portugal Changed the World
Portugal is Europe's southwestern extremity, washed by the Atlantic, and warmed by the Mediterranean sun. Alone among Iberia's ancient kingdoms, in it's independence from Spain, it is a nation about half the size of Florida, with two -thirds the population. Yet over centuries, it has influenced the lives of the rest of us far more than many much larger and more powerful countries. The Portuguese gave the English afternoon tea, and Bombay, the key to empire. They brought to Africa protection from malaria, and slave-shipments to America; to India, higher education, curry and samosas; to Japan, tempura and firearms.
277 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2002
94 people are currently reading
1204 people want to read
About the author
Martin Page
8 books4 followersThere is more than one author with this name
French author: Martin Page
Botanist: Martin Page
MARTIN PAGE was one of the leading correspondents of the Daily Express when the Beaverbrook foreign service was among the most lavishly funded in Fleet Street. He was head of the Express bureaux in three world capitals — Paris, Moscow and Rome — and he reported wars from Algeria and Congo to Vietnam. Then his declining eyesight was diagnosed as untreatable and, faced with the prospect of the end of his travelling life, he started a new career as an author.
His novel, The Man Who Stole The Mona Lisa, was an instant success and hailed by The Times as one of the best two thrillers of its year. He also wrote The Good Doctors Guide, an assessment of the skills of various consultants that caused considerable controversy in Harley Street and beyond. But soon he became legally blind and moved with his wife and two small sons to live in Portugal.
This country provided the subject of his most important book, The First Global Village, in which he described the influence of Portugal over the centuries. This highly readable work was well-received in Britain and Portugal and this account by an English author of their country made it a bestseller with the Portuguese.
His books were published in 14 languages and included The Company Savage, which became a bestseller in Germany and Japan, and a second novel, The Pilate Plot. [Times obit.]
French author: Martin Page
Botanist: Martin Page
MARTIN PAGE was one of the leading correspondents of the Daily Express when the Beaverbrook foreign service was among the most lavishly funded in Fleet Street. He was head of the Express bureaux in three world capitals — Paris, Moscow and Rome — and he reported wars from Algeria and Congo to Vietnam. Then his declining eyesight was diagnosed as untreatable and, faced with the prospect of the end of his travelling life, he started a new career as an author.
His novel, The Man Who Stole The Mona Lisa, was an instant success and hailed by The Times as one of the best two thrillers of its year. He also wrote The Good Doctors Guide, an assessment of the skills of various consultants that caused considerable controversy in Harley Street and beyond. But soon he became legally blind and moved with his wife and two small sons to live in Portugal.
This country provided the subject of his most important book, The First Global Village, in which he described the influence of Portugal over the centuries. This highly readable work was well-received in Britain and Portugal and this account by an English author of their country made it a bestseller with the Portuguese.
His books were published in 14 languages and included The Company Savage, which became a bestseller in Germany and Japan, and a second novel, The Pilate Plot. [Times obit.]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
June 23, 2013
The fact that this book, which has both an English and Portuguese edition, is highly rated, is a mystery to me. As a work of fiction, it might be considered well written, but the key issue is that it's pitched as fact, but is rife with inaccuracies.
I first came across the book many years ago, when Martin Page was still alive, but I only read it when I was researching The India Road.
I was interested only in the XVth century for my own book, and for that period there were a few things that I thought were incorrect in what I read. However, when I read through, it became apparent that even in small things such as the origin (which is not Portuguese) of the Japanese word Arigato, the First Global Village was a leap of faith.
Perhaps that's the part that upsets me most. Bold, glib statements about Portuguese success in areas that are simply not true don't help present this little big country in the correct light.
It's true that Portugal did great things. It has the longest standing consolidated borders in Europe. Apart from a brief (in historical terms) occupation by Spain in 1580-1640, it has been independent for almost 900 years, since 1143.
The Portuguese language and culture are widely disseminated in the world, and if you read any number of books about the Portuguese discoveries, of which the link above is but one, the achievements of this small nation are abundant and clear.
The diary of Álvaro Velho, which last Wednesday became a UNESCO Memory of the World, is proof of this. In it for instance you can read how when Vasco da Gama returned from India to what is now the Somali coast, he was desperate for oranges for his ailing crew.
This suggests the link between vitamin c defficiency and scurvy had been understood by Portuguese navigators at the turn of the XVth century, 250 years before Captain Cook.
I believe Portugal has enough to be proud of without pretending to have been all things to all people. In that respect the disservice is done, and a careful read of previous reviews suggests that a fair amount of readers saw through the First Global Village for what it is, an overstated account that wanders frequently into the realm of fantasy.
I first came across the book many years ago, when Martin Page was still alive, but I only read it when I was researching The India Road.
I was interested only in the XVth century for my own book, and for that period there were a few things that I thought were incorrect in what I read. However, when I read through, it became apparent that even in small things such as the origin (which is not Portuguese) of the Japanese word Arigato, the First Global Village was a leap of faith.
Perhaps that's the part that upsets me most. Bold, glib statements about Portuguese success in areas that are simply not true don't help present this little big country in the correct light.
It's true that Portugal did great things. It has the longest standing consolidated borders in Europe. Apart from a brief (in historical terms) occupation by Spain in 1580-1640, it has been independent for almost 900 years, since 1143.
The Portuguese language and culture are widely disseminated in the world, and if you read any number of books about the Portuguese discoveries, of which the link above is but one, the achievements of this small nation are abundant and clear.
The diary of Álvaro Velho, which last Wednesday became a UNESCO Memory of the World, is proof of this. In it for instance you can read how when Vasco da Gama returned from India to what is now the Somali coast, he was desperate for oranges for his ailing crew.
This suggests the link between vitamin c defficiency and scurvy had been understood by Portuguese navigators at the turn of the XVth century, 250 years before Captain Cook.
I believe Portugal has enough to be proud of without pretending to have been all things to all people. In that respect the disservice is done, and a careful read of previous reviews suggests that a fair amount of readers saw through the First Global Village for what it is, an overstated account that wanders frequently into the realm of fantasy.
April 9, 2018
Resenha de 4 de setembro, 2013, publicado no VI, em http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/2...
“A Primeira Aldeia Global – Como Portugal mudou o Mundo” (2008) de Martin Page é um livro adorável, aconselhável a qualquer português, ou a qualquer cidadão do mundo que se sinta português. Page, citando Mário Soares, diz-nos que “A língua é o vínculo, falar português é ser português.”
“A Primeira Aldeia Global” é um livro escrito por um inglês que veio para Portugal viver os seus últimos anos de vida, e por este país se apaixonou. Jornalista do "The Guardian", cobriu várias guerras pelo mundo, atravessou continentes e muitos países. Experimentou in loco muito do que se dizia ter ali chegado através de marinheiros portugueses. Resolveu, nos últimos anos que viveu, já cego, pesquisar e escrever sobre a história de Portugal, sobre os seus feitos, sobre o seu povo e posição geográfica. Page criou um livro que eleva o orgulho português aos mais altos patamares. Dificilmente poderia este livro ter sido escrito por um português, sem ser ridicularizado pelo excesso de vanglória e ostentação. Como inglês disserta sobre a visão que os ingleses faziam de Portugal, como ajudaram a criar mitos como Infante D. Henrique, ou como foram grandes responsáveis pelo fim da monarquia em Portugal, os nossos eternos "amigos de Peniche". Page faz um trabalho de desmontagem de alguns personagens, mitos de hoje, como o Infante D. Henrique, Cristovão Colombo, ou o Marquês de Pombal. E não deixa incólume José Hermano Saraiva, e as suas tentativas de branqueamento do Estado Novo. Ainda assim este livro de Page é mais romance do que livro histórico. Está muito mais preocupado em romancear a história, do que em analisar a sua factualidade. Page apaixonou-se por Portugal, e este seu livro é uma carta de amor escrita como legado ao país, em que decidiu passar os seus últimos anos de vida.
Page recua aos tempos em que a região em que Portugal hoje se situa, era denominada de Lusitânia pelo Império de Roma, e enche o texto de detalhes apaixonantes, como o facto de Julio Cesar ter sido governador da Hispânia Ulterior, e nessa altura se ter dedicado a conquistar a Lusitânia, local de onde extrairia o ouro, nomeadamente no Alentejo, que lhe iria devolver o respeito de Roma e abrir caminho para se tornar no Cônsul da República de Roma. É esta forma de descrever a história, que torna o livro tão estimulante, carregado de detalhe explicado causalmente, ainda que por vezes não seja suportado em evidência científica (ex: a insistência no “Arigato”), mas que dão um sentido, uma lógica ao que aconteceu no passado. Apesar de nos levantarem dúvidas, alguns dos relatos que nos vai fazendo, é verdade que Page recorre a um manancial muito interessante de fontes exteriores a Portugal, capazes de ajudar a complementar muito daquilo que temos lido na história nacional. Escrevendo assim, jornalisticamente, Page ajuda-nos a criar uma ideia narrativa, coerente e consistente, que facilmente entendemos e registamos.
É fascinante toda a discussão que Page faz sobre a presença dos Árabes em território nacional, tudo o que nos trouxeram e que por cá deixaram, em termos de conhecimento, nomeadamente o conhecimento da Grécia antiga que nos chegou por sua via. Assim como todo o sentido fluído com que vai dissertando sobre cada rei de Portugal, os seus feitos, conquistas, os seus contributos para a Europa e o mundo. Mas lendo Page percebemos como Portugal, a seguir a cada grande momento de grande riqueza, teria sempre um grande momento de pobreza. Por isso se hoje vivemos com problemas de rating no crédito internacional, isso não é novidade para nós. Já vivemos o mesmo problema em 1557 (p.177), pouquíssimos anos depois de termos sido o país mais rico do globo. E voltámos a viver o mesmo com o fim do produto proveniente do Brasil, após a sua independência, e que levaria ao colapso em 1926, que levaria ao surgimento de Salazar para implementar uma austeridade brutal, e assim reganhar o respeito dos mercados. Fica a ideia que ao longo de 900 anos de história, vivemos ao sabor da sorte, daquilo que o além-mar nos poderia trazer. Se fomos um Império, como Page e outros atestam (wikipedia), foi mais por conta de tudo o que conseguimos trazer de outras partes do mundo. Apenas com um milhão de habitantes, a geografia do país, ou quem o habitava, nunca conseguimos fazer grande coisa dele.
[imagem]
No livro de Page, tudo nas conquistas além-mar portuguesas são glórias. Não existe uma linha para discutir criticamente o período. Como apontamento sobre isto, deixo apenas esta gravura "Europe supported by Africa and America" (1796) de William Blake.
Page não reflecte criticamente sobre a problemática da riqueza conquistada, Page limita-se a apontar Portugal, e os portugueses como um dos principais povos a trilhar a comunicação internacional. Neste campo Page eleva os Portugueses ao alto, citando e atestando, sobre a amabilidade, abertura, e empatia dos portugueses para com os outros povos. Desde os Árabes inicialmente, aos povos em África, e aos Judeus que viveram na Europa até ao modo como os Portugueses acolhem ainda hoje. Page não o diz, mas este poderá ter sido o elemento central em toda a criação do Império Português, a sua facilidade de comunicação com o outro, o modo como se dava rapidamente, se adaptava a cada lugar diferente, e se deixava ficar criando raízes. Ainda hoje se refere que os portugueses terão sido responsáveis pela criação da raça de mestiços, ao fundir-se desde o início com as outras raças e credos, que ia encontrando, de forma aberta e sem tabus.
A capacidade e empenho nas viagens além-mar levou a que Portugal se tivesse concentrado no desenvolvimento de tecnologia que lhe permitiria ligar todo o mundo por via marítima. Desde tecnologia de orientação, a tecnologia de navegação, a tecnologia de guerra. Portugal inventou, criou, desenvolveu e implementou todo um arsenal capaz de permitir abrir caminhos desconhecidos, estabelecendo rotas marítimas periódicas que passaram a transportar o conhecimento entre todos os pontos do chamado Império Português. Durante o auge, o português chegou a ser Língua Franca no comércio e navegação. E é exatamente aqui que encalha o meu título para esta resenha.
Portugal foi o Google, em todos os sentidos. Arrisco dizer “todos”. Primeiro porque abriu caminho, onde este não existia. Segundo, porque deu a conhecer o que antes era desconhecido. Terceiro porque se tornou global, rico e poderoso. Quarto, o mais importante para mim, porque conseguiu tudo isto sem verdadeiramente criar nada. Criar, no sentido de produção de cultura, definidor do saber-fazer de um povo, aparte a tecnologia já descrita.
Tal como a Google, Portugal limitou-se a inventar tecnologia para abrir caminhos e dar a conhecer. Ambos, nunca se preocuparam em criar conhecimento e cultura para legar aos seus sucessores. Portugal enriqueceu enquanto dominou os caminhos de acesso às especiarias e ouro, tal como a Google enquanto dominar as pesquisas online. Portugal limitou-se a fazer passar de mãos conhecimento, tendo participado muito pouco ativamente na criação desse conhecimento. Com o que trazia de um lado, podia adquirir tudo o que queria do outro. (Um exemplo disto é bem evidenciado por Saramago, na descrição da construção do Convento de Mafra no seu "Memorial do Convento" (1982)). Tal como a Google, com a abertura dos caminhos da pesquisa, tem gerado somas de dinheiro astronómicas em publicidade, que lhe têm servido para criar mais tecnologias de transmissão. Quando acabar o auge das pesquisas Google, esta acabará por se afundar, como afundou o Império Português logo após a morte de D. Manuel, aquele que ficou conhecido na Europa como o “Rei Merceeiro”.
Page vai citando alguns exemplos de notáveis cabeças e invenções nacionais, mas convenhamos, que em quase mil anos de história, tudo o que é citado pode ser encontrado num único século de vários países da Europa. Só isto por si, pode demonstrar o nosso problema, e talvez explique a nossa forma de estar enquanto cidadãos do mundo, somos provavelmente pouco ambiciosos.
Fica o livro de Page, um livro fluído, sobre uma história fluída, de um povo fluído.
“A Primeira Aldeia Global – Como Portugal mudou o Mundo” (2008) de Martin Page é um livro adorável, aconselhável a qualquer português, ou a qualquer cidadão do mundo que se sinta português. Page, citando Mário Soares, diz-nos que “A língua é o vínculo, falar português é ser português.”
“A Primeira Aldeia Global” é um livro escrito por um inglês que veio para Portugal viver os seus últimos anos de vida, e por este país se apaixonou. Jornalista do "The Guardian", cobriu várias guerras pelo mundo, atravessou continentes e muitos países. Experimentou in loco muito do que se dizia ter ali chegado através de marinheiros portugueses. Resolveu, nos últimos anos que viveu, já cego, pesquisar e escrever sobre a história de Portugal, sobre os seus feitos, sobre o seu povo e posição geográfica. Page criou um livro que eleva o orgulho português aos mais altos patamares. Dificilmente poderia este livro ter sido escrito por um português, sem ser ridicularizado pelo excesso de vanglória e ostentação. Como inglês disserta sobre a visão que os ingleses faziam de Portugal, como ajudaram a criar mitos como Infante D. Henrique, ou como foram grandes responsáveis pelo fim da monarquia em Portugal, os nossos eternos "amigos de Peniche". Page faz um trabalho de desmontagem de alguns personagens, mitos de hoje, como o Infante D. Henrique, Cristovão Colombo, ou o Marquês de Pombal. E não deixa incólume José Hermano Saraiva, e as suas tentativas de branqueamento do Estado Novo. Ainda assim este livro de Page é mais romance do que livro histórico. Está muito mais preocupado em romancear a história, do que em analisar a sua factualidade. Page apaixonou-se por Portugal, e este seu livro é uma carta de amor escrita como legado ao país, em que decidiu passar os seus últimos anos de vida.
Page recua aos tempos em que a região em que Portugal hoje se situa, era denominada de Lusitânia pelo Império de Roma, e enche o texto de detalhes apaixonantes, como o facto de Julio Cesar ter sido governador da Hispânia Ulterior, e nessa altura se ter dedicado a conquistar a Lusitânia, local de onde extrairia o ouro, nomeadamente no Alentejo, que lhe iria devolver o respeito de Roma e abrir caminho para se tornar no Cônsul da República de Roma. É esta forma de descrever a história, que torna o livro tão estimulante, carregado de detalhe explicado causalmente, ainda que por vezes não seja suportado em evidência científica (ex: a insistência no “Arigato”), mas que dão um sentido, uma lógica ao que aconteceu no passado. Apesar de nos levantarem dúvidas, alguns dos relatos que nos vai fazendo, é verdade que Page recorre a um manancial muito interessante de fontes exteriores a Portugal, capazes de ajudar a complementar muito daquilo que temos lido na história nacional. Escrevendo assim, jornalisticamente, Page ajuda-nos a criar uma ideia narrativa, coerente e consistente, que facilmente entendemos e registamos.
É fascinante toda a discussão que Page faz sobre a presença dos Árabes em território nacional, tudo o que nos trouxeram e que por cá deixaram, em termos de conhecimento, nomeadamente o conhecimento da Grécia antiga que nos chegou por sua via. Assim como todo o sentido fluído com que vai dissertando sobre cada rei de Portugal, os seus feitos, conquistas, os seus contributos para a Europa e o mundo. Mas lendo Page percebemos como Portugal, a seguir a cada grande momento de grande riqueza, teria sempre um grande momento de pobreza. Por isso se hoje vivemos com problemas de rating no crédito internacional, isso não é novidade para nós. Já vivemos o mesmo problema em 1557 (p.177), pouquíssimos anos depois de termos sido o país mais rico do globo. E voltámos a viver o mesmo com o fim do produto proveniente do Brasil, após a sua independência, e que levaria ao colapso em 1926, que levaria ao surgimento de Salazar para implementar uma austeridade brutal, e assim reganhar o respeito dos mercados. Fica a ideia que ao longo de 900 anos de história, vivemos ao sabor da sorte, daquilo que o além-mar nos poderia trazer. Se fomos um Império, como Page e outros atestam (wikipedia), foi mais por conta de tudo o que conseguimos trazer de outras partes do mundo. Apenas com um milhão de habitantes, a geografia do país, ou quem o habitava, nunca conseguimos fazer grande coisa dele.
[imagem]
No livro de Page, tudo nas conquistas além-mar portuguesas são glórias. Não existe uma linha para discutir criticamente o período. Como apontamento sobre isto, deixo apenas esta gravura "Europe supported by Africa and America" (1796) de William Blake.
Page não reflecte criticamente sobre a problemática da riqueza conquistada, Page limita-se a apontar Portugal, e os portugueses como um dos principais povos a trilhar a comunicação internacional. Neste campo Page eleva os Portugueses ao alto, citando e atestando, sobre a amabilidade, abertura, e empatia dos portugueses para com os outros povos. Desde os Árabes inicialmente, aos povos em África, e aos Judeus que viveram na Europa até ao modo como os Portugueses acolhem ainda hoje. Page não o diz, mas este poderá ter sido o elemento central em toda a criação do Império Português, a sua facilidade de comunicação com o outro, o modo como se dava rapidamente, se adaptava a cada lugar diferente, e se deixava ficar criando raízes. Ainda hoje se refere que os portugueses terão sido responsáveis pela criação da raça de mestiços, ao fundir-se desde o início com as outras raças e credos, que ia encontrando, de forma aberta e sem tabus.
A capacidade e empenho nas viagens além-mar levou a que Portugal se tivesse concentrado no desenvolvimento de tecnologia que lhe permitiria ligar todo o mundo por via marítima. Desde tecnologia de orientação, a tecnologia de navegação, a tecnologia de guerra. Portugal inventou, criou, desenvolveu e implementou todo um arsenal capaz de permitir abrir caminhos desconhecidos, estabelecendo rotas marítimas periódicas que passaram a transportar o conhecimento entre todos os pontos do chamado Império Português. Durante o auge, o português chegou a ser Língua Franca no comércio e navegação. E é exatamente aqui que encalha o meu título para esta resenha.
Portugal foi o Google, em todos os sentidos. Arrisco dizer “todos”. Primeiro porque abriu caminho, onde este não existia. Segundo, porque deu a conhecer o que antes era desconhecido. Terceiro porque se tornou global, rico e poderoso. Quarto, o mais importante para mim, porque conseguiu tudo isto sem verdadeiramente criar nada. Criar, no sentido de produção de cultura, definidor do saber-fazer de um povo, aparte a tecnologia já descrita.
Tal como a Google, Portugal limitou-se a inventar tecnologia para abrir caminhos e dar a conhecer. Ambos, nunca se preocuparam em criar conhecimento e cultura para legar aos seus sucessores. Portugal enriqueceu enquanto dominou os caminhos de acesso às especiarias e ouro, tal como a Google enquanto dominar as pesquisas online. Portugal limitou-se a fazer passar de mãos conhecimento, tendo participado muito pouco ativamente na criação desse conhecimento. Com o que trazia de um lado, podia adquirir tudo o que queria do outro. (Um exemplo disto é bem evidenciado por Saramago, na descrição da construção do Convento de Mafra no seu "Memorial do Convento" (1982)). Tal como a Google, com a abertura dos caminhos da pesquisa, tem gerado somas de dinheiro astronómicas em publicidade, que lhe têm servido para criar mais tecnologias de transmissão. Quando acabar o auge das pesquisas Google, esta acabará por se afundar, como afundou o Império Português logo após a morte de D. Manuel, aquele que ficou conhecido na Europa como o “Rei Merceeiro”.
Page vai citando alguns exemplos de notáveis cabeças e invenções nacionais, mas convenhamos, que em quase mil anos de história, tudo o que é citado pode ser encontrado num único século de vários países da Europa. Só isto por si, pode demonstrar o nosso problema, e talvez explique a nossa forma de estar enquanto cidadãos do mundo, somos provavelmente pouco ambiciosos.
Fica o livro de Page, um livro fluído, sobre uma história fluída, de um povo fluído.
January 26, 2013
Most of the UK was snowed in, so I decided to hop a plane to Spain, one of my favorite destinations. At this time of year my usual residence there is just ticking over until it hits March onwards, so I managed to get a booking in a fairly well rated hotel. Of course, off the hoof I didn’t take any books with me, but after trawling the hotel’s bookshelves I decided to pick this particular book.
What initially attracted me to it was the main title, First Global Village. Hmmm, I thought, looks interesting. Then the sub-title followed: How Portugal Changed the World. Aahhhh, right! Oh well, I may as well read something about the Mediterranean while I was here, although this book was about Portugal I still felt an affinity with it as I had visited Portugal a number of times and, anyway, it was only a stone’s throw from Spain.
I must admit, I was rather taken by the author’s own biographical write-up of himself; in fact he seemed a very interesting character. Alas, that section was short-lived but since I had the book with me on the balcony of my suite, I felt it respectful to continue reading, and I’m so pleased I did.
Wow! Martin Page, the author, reveals a lot of interesting facts about the history of Portugal, and he starts way back in the period of A.D. I must admit that although I excelled at English History as a subject in my later school years, I was not au fait with the history of Portugal, so Martin could have been telling me anything and I would have to take it on board as fact, although after speaking with another guest in the hotel, I discovered that the book apparently has many historical errors! Ah well, that’s always the problem with writing non-fiction! If you get it wrong then you hold yourself up for ransom to the geeks of the world who know it all. But nonetheless, a historical inconsistency here and there didn’t detract from the overall picture the book gave. So with that in mind, I would advise checking relevant snatches you may wish to use from this book against a trusted source before extolling the virtues of your knowledge of Portuguese history.
What drew me in, hook, line and sinker, to the writing within this book, though, was the personal narrative of Martin Page. I think if this were to have been written by an historian with academic letters after his or her name then it may have lost some of the personal translation the author intended. When I say “translation”, I don’t mean in the translation of the language (as Martin was English), what I mean is how it was written from Martin’s viewpoint. The book is more a cosy insight into how Portugal really did change the world.
I had to give a wry smile at how Martin mentioned “soul food” and how slaves from Africa were fed this offal (well cooked and presented, which is not what I was laughing at), and hence forth was adopted as such and is what it is today because of that (which is what I was laughing at - how soul food originated from Portugal and not Africa). Then we have Japanese sushi, which originates from Portugal! I had to have a great big belly laugh at this. I mean, everyone believing the Japanese designed this fish dish! Also I had always thought that the Emperor Hadrian was Roman - not so! I discovered from Martin that Hadrian was an Iberian, from Cadiz! There were also numerous revelations about Christopher Columbus (Portuguese: Cristóvão Colombo), but I will not spoil any of this for the potential reader.
All in all, a book full of idiosyncratic revelations that would score you no points in any conversation, but would, though, make you smile at how the world was, indeed, changed by Portugal.
What I found within the book was akin to my own writing style, in that the grammar and punctuation were somewhat rebellious. However the book is perceived, if you look upon it as entertaining and informative then that is how to read it. And, as such, I was thoroughly entertained by the late Martin Page, rest his soul.
What initially attracted me to it was the main title, First Global Village. Hmmm, I thought, looks interesting. Then the sub-title followed: How Portugal Changed the World. Aahhhh, right! Oh well, I may as well read something about the Mediterranean while I was here, although this book was about Portugal I still felt an affinity with it as I had visited Portugal a number of times and, anyway, it was only a stone’s throw from Spain.
I must admit, I was rather taken by the author’s own biographical write-up of himself; in fact he seemed a very interesting character. Alas, that section was short-lived but since I had the book with me on the balcony of my suite, I felt it respectful to continue reading, and I’m so pleased I did.
Wow! Martin Page, the author, reveals a lot of interesting facts about the history of Portugal, and he starts way back in the period of A.D. I must admit that although I excelled at English History as a subject in my later school years, I was not au fait with the history of Portugal, so Martin could have been telling me anything and I would have to take it on board as fact, although after speaking with another guest in the hotel, I discovered that the book apparently has many historical errors! Ah well, that’s always the problem with writing non-fiction! If you get it wrong then you hold yourself up for ransom to the geeks of the world who know it all. But nonetheless, a historical inconsistency here and there didn’t detract from the overall picture the book gave. So with that in mind, I would advise checking relevant snatches you may wish to use from this book against a trusted source before extolling the virtues of your knowledge of Portuguese history.
What drew me in, hook, line and sinker, to the writing within this book, though, was the personal narrative of Martin Page. I think if this were to have been written by an historian with academic letters after his or her name then it may have lost some of the personal translation the author intended. When I say “translation”, I don’t mean in the translation of the language (as Martin was English), what I mean is how it was written from Martin’s viewpoint. The book is more a cosy insight into how Portugal really did change the world.
I had to give a wry smile at how Martin mentioned “soul food” and how slaves from Africa were fed this offal (well cooked and presented, which is not what I was laughing at), and hence forth was adopted as such and is what it is today because of that (which is what I was laughing at - how soul food originated from Portugal and not Africa). Then we have Japanese sushi, which originates from Portugal! I had to have a great big belly laugh at this. I mean, everyone believing the Japanese designed this fish dish! Also I had always thought that the Emperor Hadrian was Roman - not so! I discovered from Martin that Hadrian was an Iberian, from Cadiz! There were also numerous revelations about Christopher Columbus (Portuguese: Cristóvão Colombo), but I will not spoil any of this for the potential reader.
All in all, a book full of idiosyncratic revelations that would score you no points in any conversation, but would, though, make you smile at how the world was, indeed, changed by Portugal.
What I found within the book was akin to my own writing style, in that the grammar and punctuation were somewhat rebellious. However the book is perceived, if you look upon it as entertaining and informative then that is how to read it. And, as such, I was thoroughly entertained by the late Martin Page, rest his soul.
July 21, 2024
If you like and appreciate Portugal and its people then this is the book for you.
The First Global Village explains the history of Portugal from Julius Caesar to Salazar. It explains the complicated nature of Portugal's relationships with Spain, France, and England / UK throughout the centuries
Prince Henry the Navigator wasn't that important in the series of voyages that Portugal undertook towards India via the cape and it's possible that his role was exaggerated because his mother was English and many of the first chroniclers of the time were from England.
Portuguese Jews introduced diamonds and tulips to The Netherlands. The Portuguese introduced afternoon tea to England, brought protection from malaria to Africa, and slave-shipments to the Americas. They introduced samosas and curry to India, tempura to Japan, and sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, and the recipe for shrimp paste to China.
In WWII the Germans had developed rockets that they started firing at London. The rockets' jets' nozzles were made from tungsten, a metal with a high melting-point. By the mid 1940s the only ready supply of tungsten was from Portugal and even though the country was neutral, the Germans were confident of getting enough of the metal to start to turn the war in their favour. In 1943, Salazar stopped all sales of tungsten, saving thousands of people's lives in the UK capital.
Also in WWII, the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, issued in the region of 30,000 visas to Jews, rescuing them from the Nazis.
The First Global Village explains the history of Portugal from Julius Caesar to Salazar. It explains the complicated nature of Portugal's relationships with Spain, France, and England / UK throughout the centuries
Prince Henry the Navigator wasn't that important in the series of voyages that Portugal undertook towards India via the cape and it's possible that his role was exaggerated because his mother was English and many of the first chroniclers of the time were from England.
Portuguese Jews introduced diamonds and tulips to The Netherlands. The Portuguese introduced afternoon tea to England, brought protection from malaria to Africa, and slave-shipments to the Americas. They introduced samosas and curry to India, tempura to Japan, and sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, and the recipe for shrimp paste to China.
In WWII the Germans had developed rockets that they started firing at London. The rockets' jets' nozzles were made from tungsten, a metal with a high melting-point. By the mid 1940s the only ready supply of tungsten was from Portugal and even though the country was neutral, the Germans were confident of getting enough of the metal to start to turn the war in their favour. In 1943, Salazar stopped all sales of tungsten, saving thousands of people's lives in the UK capital.
Also in WWII, the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, issued in the region of 30,000 visas to Jews, rescuing them from the Nazis.
August 18, 2009
Anyone curious about Portugal, especially its past glory days, will find this book a fine primer on the subject. However, I found Page's narrative a bit too casual for my tastes. I like footnotes, I like academic rigor; this books doesn't offer that. Instead, Page, a repatriated journalist from England, writes glowingly of Portugal's history. Clearly, Page loves his new homeland. His writing is romantic, and poetic, but it's hard to take seriously.
July 13, 2019
After spotting so many inaccuracies (and things that are simply not true), it became difficult (if not impossible) to trust this book for the details that were new to me.
I really wanted to like this book - but it desperately needs some serious fact checking.
I really wanted to like this book - but it desperately needs some serious fact checking.
July 7, 2010
Uma leitura fantástica. Gostei muito. Há quem se queixe de falta de rigor académico por inexistência de referências bibliográficas no texto, tal não significa que a conveniente pesquisa não tenha sido efectuada, de facto ela é referida na apresentação da obra: 4 anos (segundo o autor) em bibliotecas e arquivos em todo a mundo. O autor não é um historiador mas tal não significa que a sua larga experiência como jornalista não possa produzir uma obra excelente a todos os títulos que me enche de orgulho de ser o que sou. É uma visão externa de uma história incrível que deveria ser lida por todos. Talvez aproveitássemos e compreendêssemos melhor aquilo que a natureza e os nossos antepassados nos legaram desde os tempos mais remotos. Gosto mais desta história de Portugal do que de todas as anteriores que li (mesmo com o tal rigor bibliográfico bem demonstrado). Li a versão inglesa e a portuguesa e tenho a dizer que gostei mais da original em inglês. Já comprei 3 cópias para oferecer a "portugueses desmotivados" e funciona como uma espécie de remédio.
September 9, 2016
Let's just say that I started off on the wrong foot with this book after the first few pages where the author says that the Japanese word "orrigato" is from the Portuguese "obrigado". OK SO
1) it's "arigato"
2) THIS IS NOT TRUE.
It's just one of those really popular myths people keep spreading. My father has told me this, my Portuguese Uber driver has told me this, but a quick google search will tell you that "arigato" existed before the Portuguese ever arrived in Japan.
So, from that point on, I doubted the veracity of some claims in this book.
In addition, it's hard to compile centuries of a country's history in such a small book, so at times, I was a bit lost. (A LOT of people came through the Iberian Peninsula, let's keep it at that.)
That being said, there were interesting and surprising tidbits that I enjoyed learning about and plan to look more into sometime in the future.
1) it's "arigato"
2) THIS IS NOT TRUE.
It's just one of those really popular myths people keep spreading. My father has told me this, my Portuguese Uber driver has told me this, but a quick google search will tell you that "arigato" existed before the Portuguese ever arrived in Japan.
So, from that point on, I doubted the veracity of some claims in this book.
In addition, it's hard to compile centuries of a country's history in such a small book, so at times, I was a bit lost. (A LOT of people came through the Iberian Peninsula, let's keep it at that.)
That being said, there were interesting and surprising tidbits that I enjoyed learning about and plan to look more into sometime in the future.
July 1, 2023
I bought this book in Lisbon recently, hoping for a thorough history of Portugal, and I was disappointed. Yes, it attempts a sweeping history of Portugal covering centuries. But it is too terse to be engaging, too lacking in references to be convincing in some places (Portugal having secretly discovered Brazil and set up trading posts before 1500 according to "modern historians" - with no references to back this up), and too obviously biased to be entirely believable (Portugal didn't really have colonies in Africa, it had just "built ports and European settlements on the coast, and installed governors and small garrisons of soldiers" (!!) in one especially egregious example. In another Portugal is credited with inventing the inspiration for all pastry-wrapped snacks, such as samosas and spring rolls, a claim which is easily debunked). Several very interesting-sounding stories were condensed into a couple of sentences, leaving me wanting more. And finally, I noticed a lot of typos, which is astounding for a 26th edition. Not recommended.
October 26, 2021
Exhausting in its density and grandiosity, Page’s history of Portugal is extensive. Misspellings and an appalling overabundance of commas throughout the book kept me from staying with the book for more than a chapter or two in a sitting. That said, I do love Portugal and their efforts to become a free country.
September 19, 2011
História estorificada.
De um estrangeiro radicado em Portugal (mais precisamente numa aldeia perto de Sintra), exilado de Inglaterra pela sua cegueira (literal), obtemos esta visão da história de Portugal.
Trata-se de um estrangeiro, mas, não sabendo esse facto, poder-se-ia imaginar o autor deste livro como o português mais patriota de Portugal. Isto porque, ao longo do livro, o que Martin Page quer demonstrar, é o papel moldador de Portugal, ao longo dos séculos, na evolução do mundo e da civilização.
Se em alguns capítulos da nossa história esse papel é inquestionável, compreendendo-se facilmente como os passos dos portugueses foram de importância singular e marcante no desenvolvimento do mundo ocidental e oriental (destacando-se, claramente, a época dos Descobrimentos), parece-me que, em certos capítulos, essa influência é forçada, enaltecendo-se o país por feitos não tão grandes ou não tão relevantes, que nos são apresentados com uma visão romântica e exagerada dos factos.
Estando conscientes disto, e tentando identificar os feitos que nos parecem inequivocamente valoráveis e aqueles que sofreram dum enaltecimento esforçado mas insuficiente; estando cientes do viés em que por vezes o autor se deixa embalar, a leitura é agradável, fluída, e apresenta-nos uma estória da História de Portugal; uma narrativa romanceada e acessível que torna um tema interessante e tão importante fácil de ler e prazeroso.
De um estrangeiro radicado em Portugal (mais precisamente numa aldeia perto de Sintra), exilado de Inglaterra pela sua cegueira (literal), obtemos esta visão da história de Portugal.
Trata-se de um estrangeiro, mas, não sabendo esse facto, poder-se-ia imaginar o autor deste livro como o português mais patriota de Portugal. Isto porque, ao longo do livro, o que Martin Page quer demonstrar, é o papel moldador de Portugal, ao longo dos séculos, na evolução do mundo e da civilização.
Se em alguns capítulos da nossa história esse papel é inquestionável, compreendendo-se facilmente como os passos dos portugueses foram de importância singular e marcante no desenvolvimento do mundo ocidental e oriental (destacando-se, claramente, a época dos Descobrimentos), parece-me que, em certos capítulos, essa influência é forçada, enaltecendo-se o país por feitos não tão grandes ou não tão relevantes, que nos são apresentados com uma visão romântica e exagerada dos factos.
Estando conscientes disto, e tentando identificar os feitos que nos parecem inequivocamente valoráveis e aqueles que sofreram dum enaltecimento esforçado mas insuficiente; estando cientes do viés em que por vezes o autor se deixa embalar, a leitura é agradável, fluída, e apresenta-nos uma estória da História de Portugal; uma narrativa romanceada e acessível que torna um tema interessante e tão importante fácil de ler e prazeroso.
March 3, 2016
The First Global Village: How Portugal Changed the World is a fascinating look at the rise and fall (and rise and fall) of Portugal. It fills in many holes in my scant historical understanding of the Iberian Penninsula and the tiny, but mighty, nation at its tip.
This book could be four stars but for two critical problems. First, the writing is, at times, horrible. Not simple grammar or spelling errors but more complex issues of structure and flow. I remember two types that occurred frequently. One was to have often 'They' as the subject of the sentence when the reference is ambiguous. Another error was to bury the central point so deeply in the middle of a complex, compound sentence, with multiple parenthetical statements, that you lose track, and interest, before you find the gold.
The second star is deducted for the lack of any maps or images. Not a single one in the entire book. It's inexcusable to have a history book that doesn't, at least, have a few maps to orient the reader. I'm not sure you would know the Azores are islands in the middle of the Atlantic by the description in the book.
This book could be four stars but for two critical problems. First, the writing is, at times, horrible. Not simple grammar or spelling errors but more complex issues of structure and flow. I remember two types that occurred frequently. One was to have often 'They' as the subject of the sentence when the reference is ambiguous. Another error was to bury the central point so deeply in the middle of a complex, compound sentence, with multiple parenthetical statements, that you lose track, and interest, before you find the gold.
The second star is deducted for the lack of any maps or images. Not a single one in the entire book. It's inexcusable to have a history book that doesn't, at least, have a few maps to orient the reader. I'm not sure you would know the Azores are islands in the middle of the Atlantic by the description in the book.
May 9, 2014
Page is not a historian, but he understands and loves Portugal and wants to explain it to the rest of the world. Portugal was the first European country to fix its modern boundaries and the first to establish a global footprint on the world. An Englishman himself, Page is candid about how Portugal's importance has been overshadowed by the three global powers that followed in its wake: Holland, and particularly Spain and England. As the First Global Village, Portugal served as the conduit for food, customs, language and technology transfers that transformed the world and highlighting this in an engaging way is the books greatest virtue.
September 25, 2018
This book is extremely well written amd some chaptersvread like detective stories. From the beginning, I was dismayed by lack of source interrogation and obvious mistakes, but I decided to read it as a story rather than a correct history. In thr last chapters however, the author shows his true face: that of a bigotted old fashioned catholic who doesn't mind telling lies to make his point. This is the worst sort of history writing: the fox pretending not to be a fox. From a truth value perspective, this should be rated zero.
March 6, 2019
A short narrative of the Portuguese influence in the world. Interesting read.
September 16, 2017
In preparing to spend two months in Porto, Portugal, I wanted to gain a better sense of the country, its history, culture and people.
This is the second book about Portugal that I have read (the first was The Portuguese by Barry Hatton). I note both books are by non-Portuguese who have lived for many years in Portugal and have developed a great appreciation for this rich history, customs and people.
I was reading the current book on the plane ride to Lisbon. The person across the aisle from me tapped my shoulders and said “great book”. Wow! How often does that happen. [This passenger also indicated that in the new version of Beauty and the Beast (2017, with Emma Watson), one of the scenes was inspired by the "Joanina" Library of the University of Coimbra.]
And I would agree with the fellow plane traveler. This is a great book to learn about Portuguese history (see disclaimer below). The book’s story covers more than 2000 years, starting with the biblical tale of Jonas and the whale, and finishing around the year 2000 after Portugal had moved into a democratic government with an economy that was rebounding.
From the perspective of a reader of the book, the book’s roughly 250 pages are divided into 20 chapters, making reading progress fairly straight-forward. The author also has a way to take the lines of history that most books carry and augment them with nuggets of information about people or facts that a reader can connect with. The author provides examples of the bi-directional exchange of food influences into Portugal from the locations its many trading posts. Noted are words (and with them the adoption of custom) in Japan: e.g., tempura; and of the importing of pigs from China (the Portuguese enjoy their lean pork).
There is also a sense of intrigue when the author asserts that Portugal had kept secret its exploration of the “New World” (and other attempts to circumnavigate the world), and of the spy, Pêro da Covilhã, who traveled to India and sent back to the Portuguese king maps of the oceans that ultimately helped the Portuguese establish trading routes to Asia.
The book is full of gems like these, and as noted above, keeps the reader moving forward through the history of Portugal. The book also conveys a sense of uniqueness of the Portuguese among other European countries, in their approach to engagement and interactions with cultures they encountered. For example, an encouragement of Portuguese men to marry into the local society, and for the Portuguese to consider these new families Portuguese, with a way that is welcoming! This is not to imply all was enlightenment, but to contrast with some other countries.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it highly. For me, it is worth reading again, since the smaller stories really are the spice of this book. [And for future editions, a few maps might help the reader unfamiliar with Portugal.]
I note that it was difficult to get a copy of this book. I had to order on Amazon, a used copy, from England, the 10th edition, published 2002. While visiting the Livraria Lello I saw what I believe is the 17th Portuguese edition, published in 2017 (A Primeira Aldeia Global). It seems to have a staying power.
Disclaimer from the author: “I am a reporter, not an academic, and The First Global Village is neither a text-book nor a dissertation, but a personal narrative, about how the Portugal of today came into being.”
This is the second book about Portugal that I have read (the first was The Portuguese by Barry Hatton). I note both books are by non-Portuguese who have lived for many years in Portugal and have developed a great appreciation for this rich history, customs and people.
I was reading the current book on the plane ride to Lisbon. The person across the aisle from me tapped my shoulders and said “great book”. Wow! How often does that happen. [This passenger also indicated that in the new version of Beauty and the Beast (2017, with Emma Watson), one of the scenes was inspired by the "Joanina" Library of the University of Coimbra.]
And I would agree with the fellow plane traveler. This is a great book to learn about Portuguese history (see disclaimer below). The book’s story covers more than 2000 years, starting with the biblical tale of Jonas and the whale, and finishing around the year 2000 after Portugal had moved into a democratic government with an economy that was rebounding.
From the perspective of a reader of the book, the book’s roughly 250 pages are divided into 20 chapters, making reading progress fairly straight-forward. The author also has a way to take the lines of history that most books carry and augment them with nuggets of information about people or facts that a reader can connect with. The author provides examples of the bi-directional exchange of food influences into Portugal from the locations its many trading posts. Noted are words (and with them the adoption of custom) in Japan: e.g., tempura; and of the importing of pigs from China (the Portuguese enjoy their lean pork).
There is also a sense of intrigue when the author asserts that Portugal had kept secret its exploration of the “New World” (and other attempts to circumnavigate the world), and of the spy, Pêro da Covilhã, who traveled to India and sent back to the Portuguese king maps of the oceans that ultimately helped the Portuguese establish trading routes to Asia.
The book is full of gems like these, and as noted above, keeps the reader moving forward through the history of Portugal. The book also conveys a sense of uniqueness of the Portuguese among other European countries, in their approach to engagement and interactions with cultures they encountered. For example, an encouragement of Portuguese men to marry into the local society, and for the Portuguese to consider these new families Portuguese, with a way that is welcoming! This is not to imply all was enlightenment, but to contrast with some other countries.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it highly. For me, it is worth reading again, since the smaller stories really are the spice of this book. [And for future editions, a few maps might help the reader unfamiliar with Portugal.]
I note that it was difficult to get a copy of this book. I had to order on Amazon, a used copy, from England, the 10th edition, published 2002. While visiting the Livraria Lello I saw what I believe is the 17th Portuguese edition, published in 2017 (A Primeira Aldeia Global). It seems to have a staying power.
Disclaimer from the author: “I am a reporter, not an academic, and The First Global Village is neither a text-book nor a dissertation, but a personal narrative, about how the Portugal of today came into being.”
September 10, 2023
The First Global Village: How Portugal Changed the World" is a compelling journey through the annals of Portuguese history, offering a condensed yet vivid portrayal of Portugal's monumental role in shaping the course of global events. The book adeptly unfurls the rich tapestry of a nation that, over two millennia, experienced astonishing transformations.
The narrative masterfully weaves together a series of historical episodes, shedding light on lesser-known facets that often escape the pages of conventional history books. These captivating details serve as portals into Portugal's dynamic past and its profound impact on the world stage. From groundbreaking voyages of exploration to pivotal diplomatic endeavors, the book provides a comprehensive overview that resonates with history enthusiasts and novices alike.
While the content itself merits high praise, my experience with the Portuguese translated edition gave rise to some reservations. The presence of translation errors and occasional omissions, particularly with regard to numerical data, detracted from an otherwise seamless reading experience. This, regrettably, influenced my assessment, leading me to refrain from awarding a full four-star rating.
Nevertheless, "The First Global Village" remains an invaluable addition to the library of anyone seeking to comprehend the indelible mark Portugal has left on global affairs. Its ability to distill centuries of history into a digestible narrative is commendable, offering readers a glimpse into a nation's remarkable journey through time. With the hope of future editions addressing these translation concerns, this book stands as an engaging testament to the enduring legacy of Portugal's influence on the world stage.
The narrative masterfully weaves together a series of historical episodes, shedding light on lesser-known facets that often escape the pages of conventional history books. These captivating details serve as portals into Portugal's dynamic past and its profound impact on the world stage. From groundbreaking voyages of exploration to pivotal diplomatic endeavors, the book provides a comprehensive overview that resonates with history enthusiasts and novices alike.
While the content itself merits high praise, my experience with the Portuguese translated edition gave rise to some reservations. The presence of translation errors and occasional omissions, particularly with regard to numerical data, detracted from an otherwise seamless reading experience. This, regrettably, influenced my assessment, leading me to refrain from awarding a full four-star rating.
Nevertheless, "The First Global Village" remains an invaluable addition to the library of anyone seeking to comprehend the indelible mark Portugal has left on global affairs. Its ability to distill centuries of history into a digestible narrative is commendable, offering readers a glimpse into a nation's remarkable journey through time. With the hope of future editions addressing these translation concerns, this book stands as an engaging testament to the enduring legacy of Portugal's influence on the world stage.
March 25, 2018
Apesar de lhe podermos apontar falhas ao nível dos factos (muitos deles nunca sustentados, sem citações ou referências sólidas) e alguma confusão nesta (entusiasmada!) proliferação desenfreada de "curiosidades" sobre um país e sobre um povo, creio que este livro merece ser lido. Nele transparece o exercício de puro amor que o autor devotou a Portugal - e isso enterneceu-me; ter em mãos um atestado desse carinho e enternecimento suscitado por uma nação deu-me motivação suficiente para continuar. É um livro relativamente fácil de ler, sobretudo se mantivermos em mente a imprecisão histórica e factual das informações fornecidas: o próprio autor esforça-se por veicular essa mensagem, defendendo-se no capítulo "A Propósito das Fontes": "Sou um repórter e não um académico. A Primeira Aldeia Global não é nem um manual nem uma dissertação, mas tão-somente uma crónica pessoal sobre o modo como surgiu o Portugal de hoje. É, acima de tudo, o resultado de oito anos passados a viver, a trabalhar e a viajar por entre portugueses, para além das deslocações feitas à procura da sua História, no Norte de África, na Andaluzia e na Borgonha."
February 22, 2015
Um retrato muito leve da história de Portugal com uma linguagem acessível (às vezes até em demasia). No entanto, parecem existir factos históricos contados que não se mostram fiáveis com a realidade ou pelo menos com o conjunto de factos que têm sido relatados ao longo do tempo pelos historiadores.
Digamos que é um livro simpático de um estrangeiro que vive há muitos anos em Portugal que servirá sobretudo para uma abordagem inicial e bastante condensada da história de Portugal.
Digamos que é um livro simpático de um estrangeiro que vive há muitos anos em Portugal que servirá sobretudo para uma abordagem inicial e bastante condensada da história de Portugal.
February 16, 2010
At first reading I found some historical errors, a conundrum between myth and history and, besides that, the book have a very suspicious bibliography. But it is an interesting book, with a peculiar vision of Portugal's history and the beginning of the second globalization (the author thinks, erroneously, that it is the first…).
It´s a good read, anyway.
It´s a good read, anyway.
August 15, 2015
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an overview of the history of Portugal. As other reviewers have noted, it's a clear, compelling read. I was most impressed by Page's ability to maintain a narrative thread while covering a long span of time.
Read
November 22, 2013Interessante ver a história de Portugal pela perspetiva de um estrangeiro, aprendi umas coisas muito giras.
November 19, 2020
The first time I went to Portugal, I remember chatting on the balcony with friends, wondering how did Portugal become Portugal. What happened in its history that made it so? Then the last time I went to Portugal, I spotted this book on a shelf in Bertrand, the oldest bookshop in Lisbon. But I was on a tight budget and didn't want to break Ryanair's baggage weight rules, so back on the shelf it went. Then I remembered it this month, and onto my Kindle it went.
"The First Global Village: How Portugal Changed the World" (A Primeira Aldeia Global) is ostensibly about Portugal's interactions with the world beyond, and how it's influence has been felt there. Indeed, there are plenty of elements of this. However, over its 20 chapters, for me it felt more like a sketch of the history of the nation; the interactions with the outside world often felt like side notes. Which I thought was no harm, as it has a fairly interesting history anyway.
The period covered is fairly expansive: from the time of Jonah and the Whale and their apparent links with Portugal, to the Romans after that, all the way up to the transition from dictatorship to democracy in the second half of the twentieth century. There are plenty of interesting snippets - for example, Henry the Navigator shipped a Senaglese lion to Galway in the 1400s, as a gift to his boyhood English language tutor. There are claims of varying accuracy about the etymological links between Japanese and Portuguese words: for example, one that the Japanese word for "thank you", arigatou, derives from the Portuguese obrigado. It doesn't. Another claim is that the Japanese word for bread, パン (pan), derives from pão. It does.
There's another interesting story in it, about how Portuguese and Galician seafarers in pre Columbus times, who had been catching cod off the coast of Canada for generations, spread the belief among Northern Europeans that their ships could fall off the edge the world, or be destroyed by great monsters from the deep, because they wanted to keep their knowledge of lands beyond Europe to themselves. The author credits the Portuguese navigators with introducing chilli to India, tempura to Japan, and afternoon tea to England.
All in all, an interesting book, with autocrats and the Inquisition, the Knights Templar and more.
"The First Global Village: How Portugal Changed the World" (A Primeira Aldeia Global) is ostensibly about Portugal's interactions with the world beyond, and how it's influence has been felt there. Indeed, there are plenty of elements of this. However, over its 20 chapters, for me it felt more like a sketch of the history of the nation; the interactions with the outside world often felt like side notes. Which I thought was no harm, as it has a fairly interesting history anyway.
The period covered is fairly expansive: from the time of Jonah and the Whale and their apparent links with Portugal, to the Romans after that, all the way up to the transition from dictatorship to democracy in the second half of the twentieth century. There are plenty of interesting snippets - for example, Henry the Navigator shipped a Senaglese lion to Galway in the 1400s, as a gift to his boyhood English language tutor. There are claims of varying accuracy about the etymological links between Japanese and Portuguese words: for example, one that the Japanese word for "thank you", arigatou, derives from the Portuguese obrigado. It doesn't. Another claim is that the Japanese word for bread, パン (pan), derives from pão. It does.
There's another interesting story in it, about how Portuguese and Galician seafarers in pre Columbus times, who had been catching cod off the coast of Canada for generations, spread the belief among Northern Europeans that their ships could fall off the edge the world, or be destroyed by great monsters from the deep, because they wanted to keep their knowledge of lands beyond Europe to themselves. The author credits the Portuguese navigators with introducing chilli to India, tempura to Japan, and afternoon tea to England.
All in all, an interesting book, with autocrats and the Inquisition, the Knights Templar and more.
July 18, 2023
Martin Page é um jornalista, não um historiador, como ele próprio refere no livro. E isso denota-se n’ “A Primeira Aldeia Global”, no seu registo jornalístico e sumário da História de Portugal, o que é a meu ver a grande mais-valia deste livro. Múltiplos capítulos, não demasiado longos, atravessam cronologicamente o percurso de Portugal, desde a sua formação até ao pós-25 de Abril. Ao contrário dos manuais ou livros de História mais maçudos, o intuito aqui não é o de desfilar nomes e datas, mas providenciar uma visão mais abrangente dos acontecimentos mais marcantes da nossa História, muitas vezes também povoados de pequenas anedotas ou acontecimentos mais “corriqueiros”, que são eles próprios também parte integrante da História e que dão uma dimensão mais realista e menos académica. Um óptimo livro para qualquer leigo que queria saber mais sobre o historial Português.
August 8, 2023
The simple problem is that most people know nothing about Portugal, its people, its history or its role on the world stage. As the Portuguese magazine proclaimed on its cover at one point, Deus não fala português.
Despite the laments of the academics who want references, footnotes, sources, and the people who have picked up factual errors which seem to be small, non-lethal ones, this book is an invaluable introduction to a fascinating country and people. And if you are keen on improving your Portuguese, I can recommend the Portuguese version. Whatever complaints other reviewers have about the English version, the Portuguese version is clear and suitable for anyone at B2/C1 level. As an academic, I realise I am reading journalism here but I'm very content to let Page tell his story. And what a fascinating story.
Despite the laments of the academics who want references, footnotes, sources, and the people who have picked up factual errors which seem to be small, non-lethal ones, this book is an invaluable introduction to a fascinating country and people. And if you are keen on improving your Portuguese, I can recommend the Portuguese version. Whatever complaints other reviewers have about the English version, the Portuguese version is clear and suitable for anyone at B2/C1 level. As an academic, I realise I am reading journalism here but I'm very content to let Page tell his story. And what a fascinating story.
May 14, 2018
Even though this book has gone through over 19 editions and was published 16 years ago, it remains current and entertaining. Martin Page provides a great overview of Portugal's history from a western outpost of the Roman Empire to the creators of today's globalized and interconnected planet. What I loved about the book was the prose and crisp writing full of interesting facts and viewpoints that I was not familiar with. A superb book for anyone interested about this fascinating country and its impact on every continent. Loved it!
October 22, 2019
Martin Page hails from a background in journalism, and this is evident in the book, which is packed with facts.
The book is a revelation, to me at least, about the diverse and pioneering culture of Portugal.
Whilst I knew about the famous navigators, who really opened up the world for us, there were so many other surprising facts and stories that the book was a steady read of discovery.
A little too journalese at times, Martin Page's passion for Portugal and its astounding history overcomes this, and for me, makes me bond closer to Portugal, the state of mind, as a great character.
September 8, 2025
Martin Page has really done something special here. Even as someone who grew up in Portugal and studied Portuguese history at school I can say with no reservation that I learned a whole lot about the history of Portugal from this book. In fact, this brief history (still a bit over 200 pages long though) of Portugal will prove enlightening to Portuguese and non-Portuguese alike to better understand how the Portugal of today came to be. All histories should be as well written, to the point, and comprehensive as this.
July 1, 2019
Very personal and undoubtedly biased history of Portugal, written by an English reporter who got a new home in Portugal and live there for almost a decade. While it is entertaining and easy reading, it could benefit from more maps and illustrations. It also requires reader's discretion, as a fiction book and personal book, not historical one.
NB: I got this book in bookstore in Lisbon, while travelling there in 2017(?)
NB: I got this book in bookstore in Lisbon, while travelling there in 2017(?)
dnf
February 14, 2021DNF @ 20% because I just don't trust this author. There was at least one factual error in the first few pages (no, the Japanese word for "thank you" is not "orrigato", nor is it related to Portuguese "obrigado") and no citations. Under "A Note On Sources" the author excuses himself by saying he is reporter, not an academic, but I'm afraid that's not good enough for me. I'll find a history book written by a historian instead.
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