Portugal of the Portuguese is a vivid, searching portrait of a nation too often judged by politics alone. Aubrey F. G. Bell argues that the true Portugal lies beyond Lisbon's noisy public life—in its peasants, villages, and provincial traditions—where imagination, patriotism, intelligence, and resilience endure despite centuries of conquest, foreign rule, and decline. He traces the country's rise under King Manoel I, the draining effects of exploration and empire, and the way Portugal's mixed ancestry and regional diversity shaped a people marked by saudade, irony, abstraction, and a deep attachment to home. Bell examines the nation's contradictions in humane ideals, women's lives, commerce, religion, and social custom, showing how generosity can coexist with vanity, hesitation, and melancholy. He also revisits decisive moments in history, from the earthquake and reforms of Pombal to the upheavals of the nineteenth century, when Napoleon's invasion, the royal flight to Brazil, Beresford's rule, and the struggle between constitutionalism and absolutism shook the kingdom. Throughout, the book blends cultural insight with political history, offering a richly textured account of Portugal's character, memory, and unrealized promise. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.

À propos de l'auteur

Bell, Aubrey F. G.

Aubrey F. G. Bell, born Aubrey Fitz Gerald Bell in 1881, was a British scholar, translator, and critic whose life was shaped by an abiding devotion to Portuguese language, literature, and culture. Educated at Oxford, he developed an early fascination with Iberian letters and went on to spend much of his career interpreting Portugal for English-speaking readers, becoming one of the most influential cultural mediators of his time. His writings ranged across literary history, poetry, travel, and criticism, and he earned particular distinction for his careful studies of Portuguese authors and traditions, as well as for his elegant, sympathetic prose. Bell’s work is marked by curiosity, precision, and a deep respect for national character, often exploring how literature reflects a people’s history, landscape, and imagination. That focus gives his writing lasting relevance today, when readers are still drawn to questions of identity, cultural exchange, and the value of looking beyond one’s own borders. He remains significant not only as a scholar of Portugal but also as a writer who helped foster cross-cultural understanding through literature. Readers who enjoy literary history, travel writing, and thoughtful explorations of place and identity will find him especially rewarding.