Os Lusíadas

Os Lusíadas ("The Lusiads") is considered one of the finest and most important works in Portuguese literature. Written by Luís de Camões in the Homeric fashion, and first printed in 1572, this epic poem focuses mainly on a fantastical interpretation of the Portuguese discoveries movement, in the 14^th through 17^th centuries. It is speculated that work on Os Lusíadas consumed around thirty years of Camões' life. In Os Lusíadas, Camões presents the Portuguese people as descendants from Lusus, companion of Dionysus and mythical founder of Lusitania, and loosely describes the country's history until the mid 16^th century — concentrating on giving a heroic edge to the journey of Vasco da Gama, the first European to reach India by sea.

External links

\n* Full text of Os Lusiadas (in Portuguese language|Portuguese), provided by Instituto Camões\n* Full text of Os Lusiadas (in Portuguese), provided by Project Gutenberg