Product Description

"Lisbon: City of the Sea" is a beautifully written portrait of a much loved city, from its origins in Greek legend to the present day. Malcolm Jack vividly captures the rich and unique history of this haunting and attractive port whose prominent position on the Tagus estuary has inextricably bound its character with the sea. Lisbon is a city of steep inclines and complicated, unsymmetrical streets that criss-cross the hills only in the Baixa area near the river and in the more modern, northern part of the city does any form of a grid system appear. It has enjoyed a political history that has directed Portugal's focus more overseas than inland towards continental Europe, in part because of Spain's geographical position. Thus, the city has been stretched in one direction toward Brazil and in another toward the Cape of Good Hope and from there to Asia and the East. Beginning with its earliest inhabitants, Jack traces the city's life through its imperial success in the sixteenth century and the devastating earthquake that humbled the city and shocked Europe in 1755 to its current position as a vibrant and successful European capital. Lisbon's romantic atmosphere has captured the imaginations of foreigners through the ages. Poets, writers and musicians have all drawn inspiration from different parts of Lisbon. This sensitive exploration of the city's many aspects draws out its cosmopolitan nature, as well as its colourful culture and self-image and brings us closer to understanding its true spirit. Engaging and accessible, this book will appeal to Lisbon's many visitors as well as anyone interested in European history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #401645 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
A vivid biography- Barry Humphries --Sunday Telegraph

About the Author
Malcolm Jack has written about eighteenth-century philosophy and literature and has edited the works of both Lady Wortley Montagu and William Beckford. His most recent book, Sintra: A Glorious Eden, was published in 2002. He has had a home in Portugal for many years.

Customer Reviews

A PLEASANT FIRESIDE CHAT WITH MR. JACK
I really enjoyed Mr. Jack's book. It is much like a fireside chat. He is always terse, and the repetitions in the text are there as mnemonic devices. How else would I remember those Suevic tribes that recur at the beginning of the various chapters-- all of which are arranged chronologically. What I learned from the book is that from early on in Portugese history the English played a starring role. Portugal was almost an English protectorate-- keeping the Spanish away, and the Brazilian trade routes open. And Henry the Navigator's mother was Philippa of Lancaster, the wife of Joao I.

There are great chapters on the Manueline Age, the All Saints' Day earthquake of 1755, and the rise of the Marques de Pombal-- who dug deep enough in the 1654 treaty to figure out how to wrestle the wine trade monopoly from the English. Mr. Jack is unerring when it comes to politics and politicians, and the chapter on the rise of Salazar in the 1920's is lucid and to the point. I learned a lot, and was entertained along the way.

Maurice Hart

Lisbon - a treat!
I haven't been to Lisbon but having read this lovely book, I'm really interested to go. I had no idea that Lisbon was so cosmopolitan even hundreds of years ago when most European cities were still quite insular. Malcolm Jack draws on a huge amount of research to bring human stories to life; one identifies easily with the main players of each era. He also orders the book in a very logical manner which helps bring each stage of the city's development (and destruction by earthquake) into clear focus.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who knows and loves Lisbon, and to those people like me who haven't been but love cities with history and passion.

Lisbon: city of heart and soul
I have visited Lisbon on two occasions, yet I have learnt just as much about this great city from reading Malcolm Jack's 'Lisbon: City of the Sea'. This is a place steeped in history, and of disaster, a city of fado, religion, royalty and poetry; and geographically of steep inclines stretching away from the mighty Tagus: the watery backbone of Lisbon and Portugal.

Yet this is not just a book to help any traveller acquire a knowledge of its history. The author writes in an accomplished style that transcends right into its heart and soul.

The words have the power to take me back to sitting outside a baroque coffee house in Bairro Alto watching Lisboans going about their business, to and from the markets; as the heat of an Atlantic sun radiates onto my skin; and waiting for that moment when Fernando Pessoa, his long black cape blowing horizontal in the wind, side steps around the corner as his felt hat flies off his head.. This is the true wealth of this enjoyable book.