Synopses & Reviews
As Germán Arciniegas, the author of this book, points out, no important historical event happens suddenly. The discovery of America was the result of a long process of practical and intellectual exploration. Columbus broke the ground and a decade later, Vespucci placed the newfound lands on the map. Another decade passed and Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean, and ten years later, when Magellan realized the first circumnavigation of the world, all of the previous geographical speculation fell into place.
Nevertheless, the man for whom America is named, the second link in this chain of explorers, is still one of the least known figures in the history of the great discovery. Curious about the man behind the historical personage, Arciniegas set out to investigate his life.
This remarkable book, a compilation of the discoveries of Vespucci, reveals a whole epoch to us, that of the Renaissance, through a portrait of an extraordinary man, one who is very different from the one displayed by the fanaticism of his admirers or the malice of his critics. Instead, we find a fascinating and discreet figure, who moved with ease through the contrasting worlds of the royal courts, the great banking houses and the adventurous mariners of this epoch.
This book will bring pleasure to any reader who wants to learn more about the history of our world and the men who changed its course.
Synopsis
As Germ n Arciniegas, the author of this book, points out, no important historical event happens suddenly. The discovery of America was the result of a long process of practical and intellectual exploration. Columbus broke the ground and a decade later, Vespucci placed the newfound lands on the map. Another decade passed and Balboa reached the Pacific Ocean, and ten years later, when Magellan realized the first circumnavigation of the world, all of the previous geographical speculation fell into place. Nevertheless, the man for whom America is named, the second link in this chain of explorers, is still one of the least known figures in the history of the great discovery. Curious about the man behind the historical personage, Arciniegas set out to investigate his life. This remarkable book, a compilation of the discoveries of Vespucci, reveals a whole epoch to us, that of the Renaissance, through a portrait of an extraordinary man, one who is very different from the one displayed by the fanaticism of his admirers or the malice of his critics. Instead, we find a fascinating and discreet figure, who moved with ease through the contrasting worlds of the royal courts, the great banking houses and the adventurous mariners of this epoch. This book will bring pleasure to any reader who wants to learn more about the history of our world and the men who changed its course.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [487]-495) and index.
Synopsis
Despite the fact that the Americas were named after Florentine Amérigo Vespucci, he has been one of the least researched characters in American history. In this profile, Vespucci is revealed as a smart, trustworthy businessman and explorer, worthy of this new world's honor.
About the Author
Germán Arciniegas, journalist, historian, essayist, is the author of more than sixty books. Among those translated into English are:
The Knight of El Dorado;
Caribbean: Sea of the New World;
The State of Latin America;
Latin American: A Cultural History;
America in Europe;
Between Freedom and Fear, and
Amerigo and the New World. He studied law at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia; was a professor in universities in the United States, Italy and France; and served as Colombian Minister of Education. He helped found the Colombian Museum of Colonia Art, the National Museum of Colombia and the Colegio Major de Cundinamarca. Corresponding member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters (U.S.), he was Colombian Ambassador to Italy, Israel, Veneuela, Trinidad and the Vatican. He was Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at Los Andes University (Bogotá), President of the Colombian Academy of Histoy and Member of the Colombian Academy of Language. He was the founder and director of the magazines
Voz de la Juventud,
Universidad,
Revista de América and
Correo de los Andes and the editor of
El Tiempo newspaper (Bogotá) and the magazine
Cuadernos (Paris). He was a contributor to the publications
Los Nuevos,
Pan,
Sur (Buenos Aires),
ABC (Madrid),
Cuadernos Americanos (Mexico) and a weekly coulmnist for
El Tiempo,
El Nacional (Caracas) and other Latin American newspapers. He was awarded the Cabot, Alberdi-Sarmiento (Argentina), Alfonso Reyes (Mexico), Americas Foundation (U.S.) and Andrés Bello (Chile) prizes and the order of the Légion d'Honneur (France).