A New Contribution to the Understanding of the Life and Work of Manuel de Faria e Sousa

Abstract

Manuel de Faria e Sousa, one of the most scholar Portuguese personality of the 15th century, lived most of his life in Spain at one of the most turbulent periods of the Portuguese kingdom: the Philippine dynasty and subsequent restoration of Portuguese independence in 1640. At the time of the Restoration of Independence the writer did not return to his country of origin. Two versions of the happening arose, with emphasis mainly on the lack of loyalty towards the new Portuguese monarch, King John IV. After analysing the arguments for and against, we consider legitimate that Faria e Sousa remained loyal to the Spanish monarchs mostly due to the familiar and professional relationships that the writer maintained in the neighbour kingdom. Despite this possibility, which precludes the version defended by us in a study published in 2012, the analysis of its literary Works allows to establish that it was Faria e Sousa intention to praise the Portuguese kingdom through the appreciation of the national history and culture.It is therefore concluded that the literary Works of the author can be faced as an additional factor for a better understanding of the writer and his feelings towards his home nation