Tribute to the Douro region

“Vindima” de Miguel Torga, versão em língua inglesa: “Grape Harvest”, Miguel Torga’s novel, is a tribute to the Douro, its people and its lanscapes. A book for all those who love this extraordinary region.

“Faithful to the reality of life in those times, I wrote of a tormented Douro, of class struggle, of injustice, sweat and misery. Fortunately, that Douro is changing. Not to the extent that certain people with troubled consciences would like it to be believed, but, in many aspects at least, it is considerably different from the region I then described. The tyrannical landowners, degrading worker’s huts and starvation wages have disappeared. The bands of hired grape pickers now come down from the mountain by bus, the food has improved and the work is less exhausting. The falls and rapids of the river, too, have been drowned in the tranquillity of man-made lagoons. Nonetheless, I still believe that you will not tire your eyes in vain contemplating the picture I have painted” Miguel Torga, 1988