Extra: Fiction books set in Greenland (translated into Portuguese)

English version

Never has so much been heard about Greenland as these days. First “visited” by the Vikings in the 10th century, it has been colonized by the Kingdom of Denmark since the 18th century. The relationship between the Inuit (the native people of Greenland) and the Danish government has not been a peaceful one. As it happened in other colonies, the Greenland true natives were brutalised and discriminated against (they still are). They have longed for a very long time to be completely independent, but the situation just got increasingly complicated with the declared intentions of the President of the USA.

Christoffer Petersen is a British fiction author who lived in Greenland for seven years. Teaching English to people living in remote areas and in the country’s capital, he had extensively contact with the Inuit. He has learned about their problems with Denmark and the consequences of its disastrous ruling. Having moved to Denmark, he now spends his time writing fictional stories about that frozen world. Some of those books are translated into Portuguese.

Portuguese version

Nunca se falou tanto sobre a Gronelândia como nestes dias. Visitada pela primeira vez pelos Vikings no século X, foi colonizada pelo Reino da Dinamarca a partir do século XVIII. O relacionamento entre os Inuit (o povo nativo da Gronelândia) e o governo dinamarquês não tem sido pacífico. Tal como aconteceu noutras colónias, os verdadeiros nativos gronelandeses foram brutalizados e discriminados (ainda o são). Há muito que anseiam pela independência toral, mas a situação está cada vez mais complicada com as intenções declaradas do Presidente dos EUA.

Christoffer Petersen é um autor de livros de ficção que viveu na Gronelândia durante sete anos. Ao ensinar inglês para as pessoas que viviam em áreas remotas e na capital do país, teve bastante contacto com os Inuit. Tomou conhecimento sobre os problemas com a Dinamarca e as consequências do seu governo desastroso. Tendo-se mudado para a Dinamarca, agora passa o tempo a escrever histórias ficcionadas sobre esse mundo gelado. Alguns destes livros estão traduzidos em Português.

 


The Greenland Trilogy | A Trilogia da Gronelândia


When Fenna Brongaard started her job with the SIRIUS patrol, she thought her biggest challenge was the ice storms along the patrol route through the Greenland desert. She was wrong. From her secret mission in Book 1, her short career as a secret agent in Book 2, to her personal self-imposed assignment in Book 3, she lives many dangerous adventures. A fast-paced thriller that surprises at every step of the way. In the meantime, she also meets David Maratse, a Greenland Police Constable and the main character of the Greenland Crime series.

Quando Fenna Brongaard começou a trabalhar na patrulha SIRIUS, pensou que o maior desafio seriam as tempestades de gelo ao longo da rota através do deserto da Gronelândia. Estava errada. Desde a missão secreta no Livro 1, passando pela curta carreira como agente secreta no Livro 2, até ao autoimposto dever no Livro 3, ela vive muitas aventuras perigosas. Uma história de ação alucinante que surpreende a cada passo. Entretanto, ela conhece David Maratse, um polícia gronelandês e a personagem principal da série Crimes na Gronelândia.

 
BOOK 1: “The Ice Star”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “A Estrela do Gelo”

BOOK 2: “In the Shadow of the Mountain”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “À Sombra da Montanha”

BOOK 3: “The Shaman’s House”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “A Casa do Xamã”

 
 
 
 

FENNA SHORT STORIES

After the events that unfolded in the previous books, Fenna is recruited by a secret services agency and is assigned several missions. Some of these missions are told is the following books.

Depois dos acontecimentos dos livros anteriores, Fenna é recrutada por uma agência de serviços secretos e é destacada para várias missões. Algumas dessas missões são contadas nos livros seguintes.

 
BOOK 1: “In Strange Hands and The Frenchman”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “Em Mãos Alheias e O Francês”

BOOK 2: “At All Costs”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “A Qualquer Preço”

 
 
 
 
 


Greenland Crime | Crimes na Gronelândia


Due to the events that took place in The Greenland Trilogy, David Maratse, a Greenland Police Constable, is forced into an early retirement. He decides to move to Inussuk, situated on the coast, on the other side of the country, to hunt and to fish. Well, that was the plan. The plan changes in Book 1 when Maratse finds a dead body, murdered. Against his will, he gets involved in the police investigation. In Book 2, he finds an abandoned boat, full of blood… In the meantime, he falls in love with Petra Jensen, a Greenland Police Sargent and the main character of the Greenland Missing Persons series. Yet, Petra disappears in Book 3 and, because of what he does for her, Maratse goes to jail in Book 4.

Devido aos acontecimentos que tiveram lugar n’A Trilogia da Gronelândia, David Maratse, um polícia gronelandês, é obrigado a reformar-se mais cedo. Decide mudar-se para Inussuk, situado na costa, no outro lado do país, para se dedicar à caça e à pesca. Bem, esse era o plano. O plano muda no Livro 1 quando Maratse encontra uma pessoa morta, assassinada. Contra a sua vontade, participa na investigação policial. No Livro 2, encontra um barco abandonado, cheio de sangue… Entretanto, apaixona-se por Petra Jensen, uma sargento da polícia gronelandesa e a personagem principal na série Pessoas Desaparecidas da Gronelândia. Porém, Petra desaparece no Livro 3 e, por causa do que ele faz por ela, Maratse vai parar à prisão no Livro 4.

 
BOOK 3: “We Shall Be Monsters”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “Seremos Monstros”

 
BOOK 4: “Inside the Bear’s Cage”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “Na Jaula do Urso”

 
 
 
 
 
 


Greenland Mission Persons | Pessoas Desaparecidas da Gronelândia


When Petra Jensen graduated from Police Academy, there was no Missing Persons desk. Then, Petra answered a phone call. After solving her first case, she was rewarded with her own section. However, she is still a rookie constable, therefore, she still has to do basic work. These are Petra’s stories before she met David Maratse and “be part” of the Greenland Crime series.

Quando Petra Jensen terminou o curso na Academia da Polícia não havia um gabinete de Pessoas Desaparecidas. Um dia, Petra atendeu um telefonema. Depois de resolver o primeiro caso, foi recompensada com a sua própria secção. No entanto, ela é uma novata, portanto, ainda precisa de fazer trabalho de base. Estas são as histórias de Petra antes de conhecer David Maratse e “fazer parte” da série Crimes na Gronelândia.

 
BOOK 1: “The Boy with the Narwhal Tooth”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “O Rapaz com o Dente de Narval”

 
BOOK 2: “The Girl with the Raven Tongue”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “A Rapariga que Falava como um Corvo”

 
BOOK 3: “The Shiver in the Arctic”
TRADUÇÃO para português: “O Arrepio no Ártico”

 
 
 
 
 
 


 

A book about India: “Midnight’s Children”, by Salman Rushdie

Having decided to become a writer after graduating from the university, Salman Rushdie was failing by all accounts. His first book had been a flop, but he was not willing to give up just yet. It was 1976 and Salman Rushdie was wondering what he would write about next. So, he thought about going back to his happy childhood. He booked a trip to India and made a tour through memory lane. Being born a few weeks before India became officially independent, he decided to base his new book on a boy born exactly at midnight on 15 August 1947. The result was the book “Midnight’s Children”, which was awarded the Booker Prize in 1981, the Booker of Bookers in 1994, and the Best of Bookers in 2008.

The story is told by a boy born at the exact time as his home country has acquired independence from its coloniser (the British Empire). Later in life, he decides to write the memories of his life, not taking anything out. Full disclosure: even the most shameful events would be recounted. Throughout the narrative, we learn how the boy’s life is closely connected to the first 34 years of India as a sovereign country. The tale starts in the paradisiac landscapes of Kashmir, when the boy’s grandfather meets the boy’s grandmother, at a time when the country is still under British administration. As the family grows, it moves around throughout India: Delhi, Bombay, and Pakistan.

In a unique style, the author, through the narrator’s voice, describes what is happening to the boy as he grows up, to his family, and to his country. It is a roller coaster of changes and emotions. After knowing the story of his grandparents and his parents, we get to know how the narrator’s childhood was in Bombay. At some point, we learn that a nurse dramatically influenced his fate at his birth, something that marked him later in life. In the meantime, he finds out that has a special power that he loses in exchange for physical improvement.

What looked like a bright future turned into a troubled present as the country descended into dark times. Conflicts and wars affect everyone one way or another, especially in what the schism between Pakistan and India is concerned. The narrator navigates his existence as he can, gaining allies and rivals along the way. He loses people, loses his home, loses everything; gets misplaced and misunderstood in a very Indian way. Indeed, his story could only happen in India to an Indian person. The ending is what is possible: happy or sad is up to the reader to decide.

In a nutshell, a wonderful journey through history and a magical story.

 
Suggestions:

 


QUIZ


1. How did Amina pay for the legal process?

    A. Didn’t pay – her lawyer worked for free this time.
    B. Sold her family jewels.
    C. Won the money on horse racing bets.

2. What was the narrator’s gift?

    A. Shiva had excellent fighting abilities.
    B. Saleem had the ability to read people’s hearts and minds.
    C. Parvati had the abilities of a true witch.

3. How the members of the Midnight Children’s Conference communicate between themselves?

    A. Via telepathy.
    B. Via post.
    C. Via telephone.

4. What happened in 1965?

    A. Saleem got married with a woman he didn’t love to look “more” Pakistani.
    B. Saleem lost his family, killed during the war between Pakistan and India.
    C. Saleem was expelled from his family and went to live in exile to another country.

5. With whom did the narrator married?

    A. Jamila, his greatest love.
    B. Padma, his greatest comfort.
    C. Parvati, his greatest supporter.

Check the solutions here.

 


 

Zarazoga, in Spain, has set a strategic plan to turn the whole city, including their many UNESCO World Heritage sites, accessible to everyone (this means, accessible to people with disabilities). It’s a huge effort, which they want to be a success in five years’ time. You can read the Plan (in Spanish) here.

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