It is Lisbon in the year 1905 and our hero, Luis Bernardo Valenca, a 37-year-old bachelor and owner of a small shipping business, is revelling in the luxury of Lisbon's high society. Intellectually curious, he writes about politics in his spare time, believing that Portugal's vast empire is having a civilising effect on the far-off lands it has colonised. But his life is turned upside down when King Dom Carlos asks him to become governor of Portugal's smallest colony, the tiny island of Sao Tome e Principe, stuck out in the Atlantic off the coast of equatorial West Africa, whose economy rests almost entirely on its cocoa plantations. As a gentleman used to a softer urban life, Luis Bernardo is ill-prepared for the challenges of plantation life, and he is shocked by the conditions under which the Angolan workers labour - although he is more than willing to engage romantically with the wife of the English consul, one of several candidates for his attentions. Translated from the Portuguese by Peter Bush. 384pp, UK. BLOOMSBURY.

A guide to the little visited country of Gabon and the volcanic islands of Sao Tome and Principe. The author lists the attractions of the region and important information for the independent traveller. Illustrated with colour photographs, maps and line drawings. Index, app, xi, 244pp, UK. BRADT PUBLICATIONS.

2003 1841620734 Paperback

The first English language work devoted solely and specifically to the literature of Sao Tome and Principe. Contains three essays discussing themes unique to this country - themes that no critic writing in any language has dealt with to any serious degree. Burness examines the poetry and stories on the mythic bird of Sao Tome and Principe, the Ossobo; literature that treats the massacre of 1953, often referred to as the Massacre of Batapa; and the poetry and drama of Fernando de Macedo. Concludes with an appendix of 23 poems from Sao Tome and Principe. 240pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.

A volume in the `Meridiens' series; they are aimed at students, business people and tourists, providing a general introduction to the country, its history, people, economy and development, etc. Maps, notes, bibliography, basic statistics, notes on hotels, airways, banks, websites, etc. French text, 208pp., 39 colour photos, chronology, maps, FRANCE. KARTHALA, 284586020X

2001 Paperback