The Indies Enterprise by Erik Orsenna

The Indies Enterprise by Erik Orsenna

On 13 August, 1476, off the coast of Portugal, the ship commanded by Christopher Columbus was wrecked. Columbus, who would later become an Admiral, had just turned twenty-five. He was miraculously able to reach the coast where he found refuge with his younger brother Bartolomeo, a map maker, in Lisbon. The world had been expanding since the beginning of the 15th century, and Portugal was at the very centre of exploration endeavors. The Columbus brothers worked relentlessly for eight years to prepare the voyage Christopher dreamed of: the search for the passage to the Indies, Cipango and the Empire of the Great Khan. Bartolomeo tells the story from the very outset; he is his brother's accomplice and the main witness to the events leading to the Indies Enterprise. How could this exquisite passion for discovery lead to genocide? Why explore if it only leads to the destruction of what has been discovered?

If you haven't read The Indies Enterprise yet, you really should read this fascinating book by Erik Orsenna, beautifully translated into English by Anthea BellIn 1511, Bartholomew Columbus, now an old man on the island of Hispaniola, recounts to the monk Las Casas the story of his brother, Christopher and his quest to find the Indies by travelling West. However, it isn't the story of the voyage that interests Bartholomew but its origins, the long years of preparations that preceded it and its cruel consequences: "Seaports are not the only point of departure for ships, (...) it may be a dream that sends them out to sea, (...) Being his brother, I saw his idea born and his fevered obsession with it grow. (...) Perhaps the seed of our future cruelty had already been sown in his feverish desire for knowledge?" So, the first two parts of the book take place in Lisbon, a port teeming with activity and dominated by a thirst for knowledge of the world, unparalleled anywhere in Europe. The stories told by the explorers who return are riddled with myths, monsters, magic and divine intervention, but each one helps to build up the storehouse of knowledge. A scientific mindset starts to emerge and the explorers discover the usefulness of mathematics, at the same time as ignorance fights its last battles. Christopher Columbus lands in Lisbon in 1476 and meets up with his brother, who is working as a cartographer there. From then onwards, under the sway of this ferociously energetic and unwaveringly focused brother, Bartholomew will work ceaselessly to prepare for the voyage to the Indies. The Portuguese monarchy refuses to give its support to this mad enterprise, so it is under the Spanish flag that Christopher Columbus's three vessels set sail on August 3rd 1492. But the last part of the book takes a sudden, darker turn. Finally repentant, Bartholomew, who had been Governor of Hispaniola, recognises the cruelty of the white men and the atrocities committed by them against the native Indians. And his account finishes with a searing question to his now dead brother: why has this magnificent thirst for discovery ended in so much destruction? Original review in L'Echo, the French language magazine for families living in London, 2011, December/January edition, in French, by Caroline Imbert, translated into English by Jane Wharam -- Caroline Imbert 20111201 'Orsenna is a troubadour...His chronicle is erudite, lyrical, flamboyant and desperate.' 20111115 Orsenna pens a luscious tale on brotherly love, on man's insatiable curiosity and his innate cruelty and Orsenna writes on the edge of an abyss, between sadness that paralyses and life that has to go on. 20111115 '...a near seamless blend of travel, science and literary reportage, a peerless portrait of a force of nature 20111115 you are never very far away from a stylish thought' 20111115 One of Orsenna's most beautiful books 20111115 'Orsenna keeps a powerful litany of Inquisition-era cruelties in reserve for the finale...' 20120909

E rik Orsenna has written seven novels and been awarded the Roger Nimier and Goncourt prizes. He was elected to the French Academy in 1998 and occupies Jacques-Yves Cousteau's seat. Haus Publishing also published Orsenna's Portrait of the Gulf Stream in its Armchair Traveller series.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9781906598938
ISBN 10	1906598932
Titel	The Indies Enterprise
Autor	Erik Orsenna
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Hardback
Verlag	Haus Publishing
Erscheinungsjahr	2012-07-17
Seitenanzahl	320
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis	Nicht verfügbar