6/24/2023 0 Comments Equador by Miguel Sousa Tavares![]() ![]() ![]() When socialite and abolitionist intellectual Luis Bernardo is summoned by the King and asked to become Governor of the region – charged with persuading the British Consul there that Lisbon is dedicated to stamping out slave labour – he quickly perceives an opportunity to prove the superiority of his moral politics. To replace the numerous fatalities sustained every year, fresh workers are shipped in from Angola under a contract viewed by other colonial powers as little more than slavery. ![]() Working on the plantations is an unimaginably grim fate for anyone toiling from dawn to dusk every day in constant risk of dysentery and malaria. However, this places the islands in direct competition with British companies in Nigeria, Gabon, and the West Indies, making the colony a tactical lynchpin in Portugal's dealings with the other European powers. ![]() In 1905, São Tomé and Príncipe (a pair of tiny islands off the west coast of Africa) represent Portugal's smallest overseas possessions – exporting only cocoa and a little coffee. Equator excels as an immaculately researched social portrait of turn-of-the-century colonialism, but is less successful as a political thriller and romance. Summary: Peter Bush's translation of Tavares' lavish Portuguese bestseller ably brings the author's lush descriptions and evocative setting into the English language, but can feel stilted at times. ![]()
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