3 h 41 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 3 h 41 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
How do you speak to a country you love when its glory gives way to shame?
In Pátria, Guerra Junqueiro turns Portugal's national humiliation into a long dramatic poem of anger, grief and hope. Behind it stands the British Ultimatum of 1890: Britain demands Portugal's withdrawal from African lands it hopes to unite. Remembered glory makes that wound deeper, and the poem asks readers to face the pain of national decline.
Junqueiro speaks as a fierce republican, turning his verse against kings, courtiers and the old habits of a tired nation. His anger is not indifference. He addresses Portugal with the harsh love one might show a sick relative. Scorn and affection pull against each other, while hope refuses to let the country's humiliation become its final word.
What you’ll discover
- A nation's open wound Encounter the anger and grief that turn a political humiliation into poetry.
- Glory against decline Feel how the memory of national greatness makes present shame harder to bear.
- Rulers under fire Follow Junqueiro's fierce republican attack on kings, courtiers and a nation's worn habits.
- Love without comfort Meet a poet whose attachment to Portugal gives his harshest criticism its force.
- Hope beneath the scorn Discover the stubborn hope that holds its place beside the poem's anger.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you like verse drama, sharp political satire, stormy gothic scenes and stories about the soul of a nation. Readers drawn to Portugal and its poets will find a fierce, musical voice.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A storm, a treaty, and three schemers
- Each courtier plans to profit from collapse
- The dogs, the king, and the singing madman
- The chronicler tells how a hero lost himself
- Cruel jokes while the people leave the country
- One by one, the dead kings say sign
- The last ghost brings guilt, prayer, and the madman's mirror
- A play of storm, song, and symbols
Who’s who
- The MadmanA giant beggar in rags who sings in the storm, has lost his name and soul, and searches for them.
- The KingA fat, nervous hunter who signs the treaty with England while haunted by dreams and by the madman's songs.
- MagnusA duke and tailor's son who covers his greed with speeches about honor, religion and the Crown.
- OpiparusA cynical prince and Chief Carver who packs the treasure and plans a comfortable exile in Paris.
- CiganusA cold marquis who defends the throne only while it pays and secretly weighs a republic.
- AstrologusThe king's chief chronicler, a dreamer and schemer who tells the legend of the giant hero.
- Iago, Judas and VenenoThe king's three dogs, an old fat hound, a mangy wolf-dog and a greedy lapdog, loyal to their food bowl.
- NunalvaresThe ghost of the medieval constable, dressed as a monk, who confesses his guilt and mourns his homeland.
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Pátria
by Guerra Junqueiro · 1896
A madman sings in the storm outside a castle where a king, three dogs and a parchment wait.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEnglish
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In short
A king is about to sign away his colonies to England, and he cannot sleep. Outside his castle by the sea, a giant madman in rags sings through the storm, and the king's three dogs howl whenever they hear him.
Pátria at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 30 min2 h fast, 2 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 35,300 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1896by Guerra Junqueiro
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A storm, a treaty, and three schemers
The poem opens on a night of thunder and raging sea. In an armory of the king's castle, armor stands among portraits of the House of Braganza. After three men enter, Magnus places a parchment bearing the royal seal upon the table. It is the treaty with England, and it gives away Portugal's pride.
Magnus is a tailor's son who loves speeches about honor. Opiparus is the king's Chief Carver, a cynic who cares only for dinner and money. Ciganus is a cold schemer who will back any side that pays. He laughs at the parchment and calls it an obituary waiting for the dead man to sign.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1896
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 h 20 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Junqueiro, Guerra. Pátria. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/patria.
Junqueiro, G. (2026). Pátria. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/patria (Original work published 1896)
Junqueiro, Guerra. Pátria. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/patria.
@book{junqueiro2026patria,
author = {Junqueiro, Guerra},
title = {Pátria},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/patria},
note = {First published 1896}
}
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What is Pátria by Guerra Junqueiro about?
It is a verse drama set on one stormy night. A weak king is about to sign a treaty with England while a madman sings outside, and ghosts of past kings appear. The poem mourns the decline of Portugal.
Who is the madman in Pátria?
He is a symbol of Portugal itself. He has lost his name, his soul and his home, and he carries a worn book of his own past. The chronicler tells his legend as that of an ancient hero.
What is the treaty with England in the poem?
It is the parchment the king is about to sign, giving up Portugal's African claims. It refers to the British ultimatum of 1890, which shamed the country and the monarchy and drove the poet to write.
The author
Guerra Junqueiro
1850–1923 · Portuguese poet
Guerra Junqueiro was a Portuguese poet, writer and lawyer. He was born in Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Portugal, in 1850 and died in Lisbon in 1923. His works include A Morte de D. João (1874), A Velhice do Padre Eterno (1885) and Pátria (1896). He also served in politics.
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