A House to Call Home: a Traveler Finds a Haven in North Portugal's Lost Paradise

An unforgettable memoir of a journalist in exile. When confronted with the choice between living as a pariah in his homeland or escape with his partner - Igal Sarna chose exile. At 65, with a distinguished 35 years' career as an investigative journalist in a country torn by national struggles, Sarna's search for a place in the world brings him all the way to the tip of the European continent. Surrounded by lush lands and even more colorful characters,...
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An unforgettable memoir of a journalist in exile.

When confronted with the choice between living as a pariah in his homeland or escape with his partner - Igal Sarna chose exile.

At 65, with a distinguished 35 years' career as an investigative journalist in a country torn by national struggles, Sarna's search for a place in the world brings him all the way to the tip of the European continent. Surrounded by lush lands and even more colorful characters, he finds his repose in Portugal, in an old house by the banks of the Alto Minho and the Atlantic Ocean.

Sarna - award-winning author, biographer, investigator, and publicist - begins to explore the history of both the house and the land it is built on. He reads Enrique Vila-Matas and Fernando Pessoa - the authors and poets that came before him - to help untangle Portugal's mysteries. He unlocks the secrets of crumbling farmhouses and forgotten palaces, abandoned ashrams and deserted homes.

A House to call Home is a love letter to Portugal, but also a story of exile. Prosaic in nature and hauntingly vivid, it tells of a man creating a new home for himself. It is an intimate and fascinating document, striking at the heart of the age-old longing for a place to call home.