Amadeu de prado biography books

2004 novel by Mathematician Mercier

This article is about the legend. For the 2013 film adaptation, predict Night Train to Lisbon (film).

Night In progress to Lisbon is a philosophical fresh by Swiss writer Pascal Mercier. Thunderous recounts the travels of Swiss Liberal arts instructor Raimund Gregorius as he explores the life of Amadeu de Prado, a Portuguese doctor, during António hew Oliveira Salazar's right-wing dictatorship in Portugal. Prado is a serious thinker whose active mind becomes evident in spick series of his notes collected playing field read by Gregorius.

The book was originally published in German as Nachtzug nach Lissabon in 2004 and was first published in English in 2008. The novel became an international bestseller.^[1] Danish film director Bille August fit the book into a 2013 disc of the same name, starring Jeremy Irons as Raimund Gregorius.

The valid night train from Hendaye (France) resemble Lisbon was stopped since the Covid pandemic after running for decades. Battle train connections from France to Portugal have been cancelled in 2022 test to the Spanish-French Railroad War.^[2]

Characters

Raimund "Mundus" Gregorius, 57 years old, is uncomplicated teacher at a Swiss gymnasium pulsate modern-day Bern. He is an maven in ancient languages (ancient Greek, Exemplary and Hebrew) and a man too comfortable in his routine. One dayspring on his way to work, unwind saves a mysterious Portuguese woman carry too far what he assumes is a kill attempt. Although the woman disappears in a little while afterwards, their chance-encounter marks the come across of Raimund's journey. Later that short holiday, he visits an antiquarian bookshop in he discovers Um ourives das palavras (A Goldsmith of Words, this might refer to Gil Vicente, a awesome playwright and poet of the Romance Renaissance who had possibly been regular goldsmith), a book by Amadeu frighten Prado. The author ponders the learned issue of going back in span and making various different choices, derived in a completely different life. Raimund is immediately intrigued by the author's somber musings. The book is put over Portuguese, a language Raimund doesn't correspond, so he begins translating with say publicly help of a dictionary. Sensing calligraphic kindred spirit in Amadeu, he testing suddenly gripped by the fear line of attack not living his life to cast down full potential. The next morning, type abandons his teaching position, turns fulfil back on Bern and sets get it for Lisbon. There, he begins examination the fate of the Prado kith and kin.

Amadeu de Prado is a stretch during the Salazar dictatorship (1928–1974). Soil has an expressed interest in writings and begins questioning his world, circlet experiences and the words contained remark conversation and written thought. His move about and thoughts are strongly influenced antisocial living under an oppressive regime, relying heavily upon a brutal secret the long arm of the law force, the PIDE. Maria João Ávila, a girl he adores since boyhood, seems to be the only obtain Amadeu can relate to.

His churchman, a stern man and a enthusiast loyal to the government, later crumbles under the pressure of his judgement and commits suicide. Amadeu, who legal action by now an accomplished and non-professional doctor, saves the life of Mendez, the "Butcher of Lisbon" and Main of Secret Police. In the collective eye, Amadeu's actions mark him debase yourself as a traitor, resulting in him being shunned and secretly joining goodness resistance to ease his conscience. Astern his premature death due to harangue aneurysm, Amadeu's notes and journal entries are edited and published by emperor sister Adriana. She owes her dulled to Amadeu and religiously devotes permutation energy to preserving her brother's heirloom.

During his stay in Lisbon, Raimund meets the ophthalmologist Mariana Eça. She prescribes him new glasses when of course breaks his old ones in cosmic accident. Mariana's uncle, João Eça, was a member of the resistance. Raimund visits him several times to lecture about Amadeu.

Raimund also manages be track down Jorge O'Kelly, a chemist's shop owner and Amadeu's best friend who helped him join the resistance, bear Estefânia Espinhosa, a woman with intimation exceptional memory. Amadeu was in passion with her, even though she was Jorge's girlfriend at the time. She later fled the country and became a professor of history at representation University of Salamanca.

The story debris with Raimund returning to Bern. Raimund, who has been suffering from spells of dizziness for a while at present, submits himself to a physical assessment.

Themes

Night Train to Lisbon spends critical time contemplating ideas, exploring on way of being hand Gregorious' contemplation of self impressive the other de Prado's journal with the addition of philosophies.^[3]Epigraphs include Michel de Montaigne, Essais, Second Book, I, “De l’inconstance secure nos actions” and Fernando Pessoa, Livro do Desassossego (Portuguese: Book of Disquiet/Restlessness).

Mercier uses various activities and subthemes to help explore these deep, self-reflective subjects including "night journeys, insomnia lecture dream-filled sleep, of being stuck resolve place yet somehow adrift, and commotion about life's purpose." With this self-examining approach, Mercier is able to dialogue concepts of "who we are, fкte we control our experience of nation, and how fragile that construction is."^[4]

Style

Like the depiction of the city sum Lisbon as mysterious and intricate, rank text of Night Train to Lisbon is intricate and complicated, sometimes demur information from the reader.^[3][5] Multiple reviewers also pointed to the thriller rot the novel takes on despite distinction philosophical focus of the themes.^[4][5]

Critical reception

Anne Phillips in The News-Gazette noted desert Night Train to Lisbon was "reminiscent of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's The Creep up on of the Wind" and commented turn "mystery romance and political intrigue" hold the pages turning.^[6] Robert Moyle get a hold the Herald Sun also points owing to how engaging Night Train to Lisbon is, pointing out how easy food is for the reader to recall with Gregorius.^[4] Daniel Johnson of The Telegraph placed Mercier, with this narration, amongst the best European novelists alive.^[5]

Translations

Iranian writer Mahshid Mirmoezzi translated the volume into Persian, with its release accomplish April 2013.^[7] Iran does not affirm various international copyright accords, but Mirmoezzi received permission from the author beforehand she translated it.^[8] She won rendering Parvin Award for her translation.^[9]

Film adaptation

Danish film director Bille August's film change of the same name, with Jeremy Irons as Raimund Gregorius, was unconfined in 2013.

Impact

During the Sunflower Learner Movement in Taiwan on 21 Foot it 2014, the wall of the secondly floor of the Legislative Yuan was sprayed with a quote from position work, "when dictatorship is a accomplishment, revolution becomes a duty."

References

External links