Poets of Portuguese Asia: Goa, Macao, East Timor - A Bilingual Selection

[augusto pinto]

Today I got a gift by courier. I looked at the packet and first looked at the postage which was a whopping $23.95 and I wondered who would send me something whose postage itself is so dear. I only remember Eusebio Rodrigues who sent me his Love and Samsara in similar fashion.

On the cover was the name of Frederick G. Wlliams of the Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese from Brigham Young University in Utah, USA. I vaguely remembered corresponding with him but could not recall the context.

It became clear once I opened the packet. The enclosed book was entitled Poets of Portuguese Asia: Goa, Macao, East Timor - A Bilingual Selection.

Now I remembered my connection with him - I had responded to an appeal to Prof. Williams on Goanet regarding a query about the heirs of Laxmanrao Sardessai and R V Pandit.

This book is an anthology of poetry written in Portuguese in the former colonies of the Portuguese in Goa, Macao and East Timor either by members of the Portuguese colonizers or by the colonized. On the verso  of the page is the Portuguese original and side by side on the verso is an English translation by Prof. Williams.

The book has an Introduction by Williams which explains the historical and social background to the poets and the poetry, and each poet has a separate introduction.

I'll restrict my summary of this 604 page book to the Goa section which is obviously of most interest to the Goa Book Club.

The Goa section is divided into the following parts: Poet Visitors in Residence: which includes Luis de Camoes and Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage;

Nineteenth Century: which has Fernando Leal, Pedro Antonio de Souza; Mariano Gracias; Roque Bernardo Barreto Miranda; andPauliino Dias; Nascimento Mendonca

Twentieth Century: which has Hipolito de Meneses Rodrigues; Clara de Meneses; Laxmanrao Sardesai; Adeodato Barreto; R. V. Pandit; Orlando da Costa; Jose Rangel and Vimala Devi.

(I won't mention the poets of Macao and East Timor for obvious reasons).

Besides the first two poets mentioned above viz. Luis de Camoes and Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage; - all the other poets in Portuguese were of Goan origin.

I'll try to comment on the poetry at some later point but a cursory reading of the translations by Prof. Williams tells me that the English rendering is pretty good, except where he had to translate the Konkani in the Portuguese poems and where he has made some mistakes.

My thanks to Frederick G Williams.

Regards

Augusto

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Augusto Pinto
40, Novo Portugal
Moira, Bardez
Goa, India
E pint...@gmail.com
P 0832-2470336
M 9881126350

[Marise D' Lima]

Dear Augusto,

You have received a very precious gift indeed !

Would it be possible for you to share it with us?

I mean lend it to us for a few days.

Marise D'Lima,

Asst.Professor,Dept. of Portuguese, Goa University.

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[augusto pinto]

Dear Marise,

This book is one which should be bought by all Portuguese teaching institutions in Goa and certainly by Goa University. Perhaps if you get together with Instituoto Camoes it would be easier to procure. (By the way forgive my omission of Portuguese accents as I'm not too familiar with using these on a computer).

The publication details given in the book indicate that it is jointly published by Brigham Young University Studies, Provo, Utah; Camoes - Instituto de Coeperacao e da Linguas, I. P. Lisboa, Portugal; and Fundacao Casa de Macao, Fundacao Jorge Alvares Instituto Internacional de Macao, Lisbon, Portugal.

The price is not indicated. But perhaps if you corresponded with Prof Fred Williams frederick...@byu.edu perhaps he will give it to you.

I wold happily lend the book to you if you promise to return it quickly because I intend to write a review of it. Just name the date and time.

Regards

Augusto

[Marise D' Lima]

Dear Augusto, 

Many thanks for a super quick reply and all the info. I will quickly return it to you.

The reason I requested you to lend it to me is in order to show it to the VC , Librarian etc. so that they order one for us too.

Pleaes let me know where to collect it from.

Regards, 

Marise