Sign-In
Cart
Madeira: The Floating Dungheap
Paperback
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN10: 1412078288
ISBN13: 9781412078283
Publisher: Authorhouse
Published: Jun 22 2006
Pages: 212
Weight: 0.70
Height: 0.48 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
ISBN13: 9781412078283
Publisher: Authorhouse
Published: Jun 22 2006
Pages: 212
Weight: 0.70
Height: 0.48 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
There have been numerous books written on the subject of Madeira. All, without exception, wax lyrical about the island - the pearl of the Atlantic, the island of flowers, the floating garden, a subtropical paradise and the lost Atlantis are but a few of the colourful descriptions bestowed. Hundred of pages devoted to the flowers and fauna, the wonderful climate, the landscape, the wine and agriculture, the facilities for the tourist, and, of course, the people - quaint, old fashioned, hard-working, honest people, and their folklore and festivals.
This book is different; it sets out to expose the dark underbelly of the island, born in feudality and laboured by slaves, prisoners, and the poorest of the poor brought in from Northern Portugal for the benefit of a few privileged farmers.
Twenty years of holidays there was no preparation for the culture shock of meeting the medieval mindset head on. A democracy where there has been no power shift in twenty-five years, and government departments run themselves answerable to no one, fines and penalties handed out without evidence or justification.
Failure to wear a seat belt can result in an on the spot broken nose, the rape of a young boy can be 'put right' by the defrayment of some cash and a cow, and the decapitation of young children caused by drunken driving can be settled in similar fashion. Builders who look on in wonderment at a spirit level and improvise a bed from the dust sheets provided and where 'Care in the Community' means keeping a mentally handicapped relative in the shed with the dogs, and feeding them together, if at all.
Many nights disturbed by the roar of gunfire, as the locals followed the age-oldtradition of 'lamping' - hunting for rabbits at night by torchlight - and if their path takes them through patios and gardens then so be it.
Isolated communities, especially islands, cultivate an 'us against the world' mentality, which when combined with religious intolerance, incest, ignorance, greed and an envy of the outside world creates an unhealthy and unnatural atmosphere.
From the factual sexual assault trials on Pitcairn in 2005 and recent murders on Norfolk Island to the fictional Summerisle in The Wicker Man there is a common thread. Isolation.
Here is a very personal and subjective account, by an Englishman, of five years living on the island of Madeira.
Twenty years of holidays there was no preparation for the culture shock of meeting the medieval mindset head on. A democracy where there has been no power shift in twenty-five years, and government departments run themselves answerable to no one, fines and penalties handed out without evidence or justification.
Failure to wear a seat belt can result in an on the spot broken nose, the rape of a young boy can be 'put right' by the defrayment of some cash and a cow, and the decapitation of young children caused by drunken driving can be settled in similar fashion. Builders who look on in wonderment at a spirit level and improvise a bed from the dust sheets provided and where 'Care in the Community' means keeping a mentally handicapped relative in the shed with the dogs, and feeding them together, if at all.
Many nights disturbed by the roar of gunfire, as the locals followed the age-oldtradition of 'lamping' - hunting for rabbits at night by torchlight - and if their path takes them through patios and gardens then so be it.
Isolated communities, especially islands, cultivate an 'us against the world' mentality, which when combined with religious intolerance, incest, ignorance, greed and an envy of the outside world creates an unhealthy and unnatural atmosphere.
From the factual sexual assault trials on Pitcairn in 2005 and recent murders on Norfolk Island to the fictional Summerisle in The Wicker Man there is a common thread. Isolation.
Here is a very personal and subjective account, by an Englishman, of five years living on the island of Madeira.
Also in
Spainish & Portuguese History
Guerrilleros and Neighbours in Arms: Identities & Cultures of Anti-Fascist Resistance in Spain
Marco
Paperback
From $24.99
Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire
Sancton, Julian
Hardcover
$29.70
Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire (Large Print Edition)
Sancton, Julian
Paperback
$33.25
The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain
Menocal, Maria Rosa
Paperback
$18.99
The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise: Muslims, Christians, and Jews Under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain
Fernandez-Morera, Dario
Hardcover
$31.34
Spain and the Independence of the United States: An Intrinsic Gift: An Intrinsic Gift
Chávez, Thomas E.
Paperback
From $17.99
The Moor's Last Stand: How Seven Centuries of Muslim Rule in Spain Came to an End
Drayson, Elizabeth
Paperback
$19.00
First Templar Nation: How Eleven Knights Created a New Country and a Refuge for the Grail
Silva, Freddy
Paperback
$18.95
Spanish Civil War in the Air Volume 2: 1938-1939
Martínez, Eduardo Manuel Gil
Cerdá, Juan Arráez
Paperback
$28.45
Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery
Reséndez, Andrés
Paperback
$17.99
Tree of Hate: Propaganda and Prejudices Affecting United States Relations with the Hispanic World
Powell, Philip Wayne
Paperback
$44.93
Spanish Military Jets 1954-2022: Difficult Beginnings
Gil Martínez, Eduardo Manuel
Arráez Cerdá, Juan
Paperback
$23.70
Mastering Spanish Handwriting and Documents, 1520-1820
Soria, H. Leandro
Ryskamp, George R.
Ryskamp, Peggy
Paperback
$75.00
The Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors' Greatest Holy Site in Spain
Charles River
Paperback
$12.29
The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook
Gitlitz, David M.
Davidson, Linda Kay
Paperback
$31.34
The Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth-Century Spain
Preston, Paul
Paperback
$18.95
Brutal Journey: Cabeza de Vaca and the Epic First Crossing of North America
Schneider, Paul
Paperback
$25.64
The True History of the Conquest of New Spain: The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Unabridged Edition Vol.1-2
Diaz del Castillo, Bernal
Hardcover
$44.99
Architects of Terror: Paranoia, Conspiracy and Anti-Semitism in Franco's Spain
Preston, Paul
Paperback
$20.89
This Gulf of Fire: The Great Lisbon Earthquake, or Apocalypse in the Age of Science and Reason
Molesky, Mark
Paperback
$25.00
Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England's Deliverance in 1588
Parker, Geoffrey
Martin, Colin
Paperback
$24.70
Uncivil Guard: Policing, Military Culture, and the Coming of the Spanish Civil War
Chamberlin, Foster
Hardcover
$70.00
The Last Day: Wrath, Ruin, and Reason in the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755
Shrady, Nicholas
Paperback
$27.00
Portugal - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
Pinto Basto, Sandy
Culture Smart!
Paperback
$16.14
The Spanish Atlantic World, 1492-1825: From Kingdoms to Colonies to Independence
Andrien, Kenneth J.
Paperback
$43.50
The Anarchist Inquisition: Assassins, Activists, and Martyrs in Spain and France (1891-1909)
Bray, Mark
Paperback
$24.70
The Forgotten Origins of the Camino de Santiago: The Lost Story of La Ruta Jacobeo, Ancient Muxia, and the Call to Pilgrimage.
Chamber, Charles
Paperback
$24.00
The Diario of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage to America, 1492-1493: Volume 70
Columbus, Christopher
Paperback
$52.43
The True History of the Conquest of New Spain: The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Unabridged Edition Vol.1-2
Diaz del Castillo, Bernal
Paperback
$38.74
A Cross of Thorns: The Enslavement of California's Indians by the Spanish Missions
Castillo, Elias
Paperback
$16.10
A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire: From Beginnings to 1807, Volume I: Portugal
Disney, A. R.
Paperback
$52.80
The Chronicle of Pseudo-Turpin: Book IV of the Liber Sancti Jacobi (Codex Calixtinus)
Pseudo-Turpin
Paperback
$31.25
The Freedom Line: The Brave Men and Women Who Rescued Allied Airmen from the Nazis During World War II
Eisner, Peter
Paperback
$18.04
The Great Book of Spain: Interesting Stories, Spanish History & Random Facts About Spain
O'Neill, Bill
Paperback
$14.20
How the Spanish Empire Was Built: A 400-Year History
Fernández-Armesto, Felipe
Lucena Giraldo, Manuel
Paperback
$17.10
Revolutionary Diplomacy: Spanish Connections and the Birth of the United States
Chávez, Thomas E.
Paperback
$44.25
How the Spanish Empire Was Built: A 400 Year History
Lucena Giraldo, Manuel
Fernández-Armesto, Felipe
Hardcover
$38.00
The Science Fiction of Defeat: Future Wars in Spanish Culture (1870-1939)
Herrero-Senés, Juan
Hardcover
$250.50
Spanish Military Jets 1954-2022: Towards the 21st Century
Gil Martínez, Eduardo Manuel
Arráez Cerdá, Juan
Paperback
$23.70
Global Indios: The Indigenous Struggle for Justice in Sixteenth-Century Spain
Van Deusen, Nancy E.
Paperback
$41.93
The Diamond Heart: Jungian Psychology and the Christian Mystical Tradition
McLean, Julienne
Paperback
$33.75
The Spanish Empire: A Captivating Guide to Its Imperialism, Expansion into the New World, Colonial Conflicts, and Its Legacy in Modern Times
History, Captivating
Hardcover
$23.74
Strangers and Kinsmen: Portuguese Immigrants and the Spanish Caribbean, 1492-1650
Hamm, Brian
Hardcover
$70.00
The Forgetting River: A Modern Tale of Survival, Identity, and the Inquisition
Carvajal, Doreen
Paperback
$27.00
Salazar's PIDE and Portuguese Society: A History of the Political Police From Below, 1955-74
Simpson, Duncan
Hardcover
$172.50
Imperial Portugal in the Age of Atlantic Revolutions: The Luso-Brazilian World, C.1770 1850
Paquette, Gabriel
Paperback
$51.48
Witness to the Age of Revolution: The Odyssey of Juan Bautista Tupac Amaru
Walker, Charles F.
Clarke, Liz
Paperback
$29.99
Iberian Swordplay: Domingo Luis Godinho's Art of Fencing (1599)
Rivera, Tim
Luis Godinho, Domingo
Paperback
$55.43
Anticolonialism, Race and Violence in Basque Radical Nationalism (1892-1936)
Baztán, Maria Reyes
Paperback
$67.49
Mudéjar Art: Islamic Aesthetics in Christian Art
Pleguezuelo Hernández, Alfonso
Borrás Gualís, Gonzalo M.
Lavado Paradinas, Pedro
Paperback
$31.90
U.S. Mercenaries and the Condor Legion: Airpower in the Spanish Civil War
Marquis, Christopher G.
Hardcover
$57.93
Spanish Spaces of Crisis: Cultural Responses to the Global 2008 Financial Crisis in Spain (2007-2017)
Usoz de la Fuente, Maite
Hardcover
$240.00
The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books: Christopher Columbus, His Son, and the Quest to Build the World's Greatest Library
Wilson-Lee, Edward
Paperback
$16.15
The Manueline: Portuguese Art during the Great Discoveries
Grilo, Fernando
Dias, Pedro
Rodrigues, Dalila
Paperback
$32.90
Manual De Paleografia Diplomatica Espanola De Los Siglos XII Al Xvii: Metodo Teorico-Practico Para Aprender a Leer Los Documentos Espanoles De Los Sig
Rivero, Jésús Muñoz Y.
Paperback
$34.94
In Pursuit of Their Dreams: A History of Azorean Immigration to the United States Volume 3
Williams, Jerry R.
Paperback
$33.28
Architects of Terror: Paranoia, Conspiracy and Anti-Semitism in Franco's Spain
Preston, Paul
Hardcover
$28.49
The Story of the Moors in Spain: A History of the Moorish Empire in Europe; their Conquest, Book of Laws and Code of Rites (Hardcover)
Lane-Poole, Stanley
Hardcover
$36.23
Spanish New Orleans: An Imperial City on the American Periphery, 1766-1803
Rodriguez, John Eugene
Hardcover
$63.00