We’re friends now, but the echoes of the past can still be heard.Īpparently, east winds (from Spain) bring storms. Several times there were battles to either prevent them from invading the kingdom or to kick them out. The Spanish (from Castilla, to be precise) are the other stereotypical enemies of the good people in Portugal. Portugal suffers from the small-country-with-a-big-neighbor syndrome. It’s an expression often used in Portugal.

The title means ‘From Spain neither good wind nor good marriage’. I think it’s a very good book, and made me laugh a lot.

There is a part about the battle of Aljubarrota (where Portugal won), but it’s reported as a football game. The book is like a war between the two countries. It would be funny to see the reaction of someone (not Portuguese or Spanish) with this book.Īlthough the love-hate relationship between the Portuguese and the Spanish, is a good book. It’s a shame the book wasn’t translated into English. I recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about Portugal and the Portuguese.ĭe Espanha Nem Bom Vento Nem Bom Casamento, Virginia López History, food, traditions, culture, our lifestyle, our passions, music, everything. I think he describes the Portuguese perfectly. I’ve read this book and it’s spectacular. “ I thoroughly enjoyed Barry Hatton’s effort to do justice to the country of Portugal. “ Anyone looking to understand this great little country should definitely read this book. While he does go back as far as the Age of Discovery, the bygone age when Portugal spread its empire around the globe, most of the book focuses on history closer to our own time and indeed Portugal a shrunken Portugal today. If you think that history books are too dry and boring to hold your interest, you have not read Barry Hatton s The Portuguese: A Modern History.

Planning a trip to Portugal? Or wondering why you should go to Portugal? If you want to read a book that will enhance the trip you are planning, you could read a historical mystery novel or you could read The Portuguese, which is a novelistic history.

The Portuguese by Barry Hatton