O Estoril Não Caiu do Céu

Abstract

O Estoril Não Caiu do Céu is a biographical historical fiction novel that relates the life of Fausto de Figueiredo, a businessman known for developing the area of Estoril (Portugal) as a massive touristic attraction. The narrative is structured as a journey by train, and each part corresponds to a train station relaying different moments of the protagonist’s life. Born in 1880 in Baraçal, in Beira Alta, Fausto de Figueiredo revealed a fascination for inventions and trains very early on. He moved to Lisbon at a young age and witnessed closely several important moments in Portuguese history, such as the end of the monarchy, the instability of the Primeira República, the Great War, the consolidation of the Estado Novo, and the Second World War. These serve as backdrop for the development of the Estoril area that Figueiredo, as entrepreneur, led. The narrative follows the events of Figueiredo’s life as he marries and asserts himself professionally, especially when he forms the ambitious plan of transforming the coastal region of Estoril which, at the time, was a wild forest by the sea. From this point, the novel focuses on the construction of Estoril with all its problems, either political or economic, and even the various accidents that take place along the way, such as construction disasters. One of the most important moments of the narrative takes place during the Second World War, when Estoril is turned into a cosmopolitan refugee for European royalty, diplomats, and spies from all sides of the conflict, who stay in the hotels and coexist in the casinos in the area. While following this glamorous side of the story, the narrative also dwells on the family tensions surrounding Figueiredo, who, in the last stages of this enterprise, had been suffering from health problems. This decline is also accentuated by the bitterness of seeing his dream in the hands of others. Amidst all these events, O Estoril Não Caiu do Céu, makes relevant references to the sciences, especially engineering, which is at the heart of the construction of Estoril. During the early stages of construction, various problems led Figueiredo to fire some of the technicians and engineers that worked at the site, specifically when a crass error in calculations caused infrastructures to crack and collapse. The novel also makes multiple references to chemistry, which weighed significantly in Fausto de Figueiredo’s life. In his youth, he had been expected to study to become a pharmacist, encouraged by Manuel Luís Salvador, the pharmacist in Celorico da Beira, whose establishment Figueiredo visited frequently. In 1901, he would take the exam at the Escola Médico-Cirúrgica to become a pharmacist. Later in the novel, associated with the character of Dusko Popov, the Serbian spy, there’s an episode that refers to the invisible ink created with substances dissolved in alcohol, providing a scientific piece to the narrative within the context of espionage during the Second World War.