O filho de mil homens is a literary fiction book written by the Portuguese author Valter Hugo Mãe. It tells the story of a 40-year-old fisherman who, not having a family to share his life with, believed he was only half-alive.
The story takes place somewhere on the coast of Portugal in the mid-twentieth century and the main characters are Crisóstomo (the fisherman), Camilo (Crisóstomo’s adopted son), Isaura (Crisóstomo’s other half) and Antonino (Isaura’s husband and best friend).
For different reasons, these characters share with each other a deep feeling of rejection which ends up determining each person’s limited view of life in society. It is a remarkable story, beautifully written and absolutely inspiring.
Isaura didn’t know that it was to suffer that she happened to be a woman.
The book starts with the story of a little woman who, due to her condition of dwarfism, is looked down on by the other women in her community. She gives birth to a child, whose father is unknown, and has an unfortunate fate, perpetuating through her son the harsh judgement that had fallen upon her. Along the events, Mãe subtly reveals the little woman’s disrespect towards her neighbors, their relief when she finally passes away and their deliberate disregard for the orphan child.
The little woman died due to decency according to divine principles. People liked it because it was right. And the relief that came from right things was always equal to a miracle.
As we are introduced to the other characters, we learn that each one of them is a world of particularities. They all take after their parents in both good and bad aspects and long for a restored comforting sense of belonging they’ve once had.
I got completely hooked on the sequence of dialogues. Quite often we find unkind remarks in some characters’ lines, some of which are indeed rather amusing (if I may say so). Most parts of the book, however, are really enjoyable, easy to read and engaging, capturing Portuguese language patterns typical of traditional communities from the last century. Both the characters and the narrator’s lines reflect people’s thoughts and beliefs which, not so long ago, prevailed in most parts of the world.
I understand, as the author develops the storyline, that it is not his intention to offer any type of moral judgement. His perception of reality is embedded in a chain of events that allows the reader to reach their own conclusion.
His point, as a matter of fact, lies in the importance of accepting our own selves and being accepted by others. In that regard, he makes it clear that “happiness is accepting who we are and can be”.
Another idea brilliantly conveyed by the author is that mistakes are a common and necessary part of our lives. They should never define us, but rather make us better people. In Antonino’s case, it wasn’t a question of making wrong choices – he never had much of a choice in the first place. But from Camilo’s perspective (a young boy who had a settled idea on social customs), Antonino didn’t follow the dominant norms of society and, for this reason, didn’t deserve to fit in.
He began to consider a person’s opportunity to find dignity in the mistake and the mistake to be worthy of respect.
Mãe also hightlights the importance of looking back and acknowledging the past in order to shape the future. Recognizing the struggles we had to go through is an act of courage and a paved way to self-awareness. Instead of clinging tightly to upsetting memories or, on the contrary, putting the past way behind us, Crisóstomo tells us otherwise.
We must nurture an affection for the suffering on which happiness has been built. Only that. Never to cultivate pain, but to remember it with respect, for it was the pathway to an improvement, for having improved who we are.
As for loneliness, Crisóstomo and Antonino teach us that it shouldn’t be so hard to build a family. Human connection is what people crave for the most in life and chances are that whatever is missing in a person could be easily found in abundance in somebody else nearby. Oftentimes we turn away from real opportunities to create new bonds, and end up limiting ourselves and others. At a closer look, we all aim for the same, though we look in different directions.
We are all born children of a thousand fathers and more than a thousand mothers, and loneliness is, above all, the inability to see anyone as belonging to us, so that they truly belong to us and generate mutual care. As if our thousand fathers and thousand mothers corresponded in part, as if we were brothers, brothers to each other. We are the result of so many people, so much history, so many big dreams that pass from person to person, that we will never be alone.
Despite the fact that I like the book so much because I partly relate to the plot, I reckon it’s a great read for anyone who is looking for a gripping and intense story. I was awed by the author’s ability to perceive mundane life with all its social issues. It especially struck me how naturally we have, for centuries, accepted stereotypes that are so hurtful to others and neglected how powerful acceptance can be.
It was the first book I’ve read by Valter Hugo Mãe. Certainly the first of his many others already on my to-read list. If you ask me, it’s a 5-star book, well worth reading! I hope you have enjoyed my review and that you don’t mind all the spoilers.
* Have you read it? * What’s your opinion of it? * Do you have a favorite Portuguese writer? * If so, who is he/she?
Let me know in the comments below! 🙂
[This book hasn’t been translated to English yet. Extracts in this review were translated by me].
1 comment
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