This Gulf of Fire

September 7, 2015
Portugal’s stunning capital city suffered three nearly simultaneous major disasters in November of 1755—earthquake, tsunami, and fire—that have come to highlight a significant shift in 18th-century religious and economic interpretations of natural and human-made systems. In this focused, well-researched, and fascinating work, Molesky, an associate professor of history at Seton Hall University, uses historical documents, geological surveys, and modern archaeological discoveries to uncover the breadth of destruction endured by Lisbon—a central portion of which was built upon a medieval landfill—and to demonstrate how the intense concern across Europe’s economic markets revealed the Atlantic port city’s financial importance as well as the interdependence of nations. In fact, these concerns spurred the creation of international disaster-relief efforts, especially by Portugal’s key allies and trading partners, which helped prevent widespread famine. Molesky’s thoughtful analysis also includes explanations of why women so greatly outnumbered men as victims (though he leaves unaddressed the issue of their unwieldy clothing). This smart, comprehensive, colorful account shows readers Lisbon’s phoenixlike recovery from destruction that is now nearly forgotten, and how it ushered in a more recognizably modern response to large-scale natural disasters. Illus.

October 1, 2015

Molesky (history, Seton Hall Univ.) gives a well-researched account of the devastating trifecta of earthquake, tsunami, and firestorm that destroyed Portugal's capitol, Lisbon, in 1755. This natural disaster is rarely spoken about, being eclipsed by other events such as the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, but, says Molesky, it was a decisive moment in Portuguese history, precipitating the rise in a dictatorial government and future economic decline and obscurity for the once-prosperous empire. The book also traces how the event impacted intellectual thought of the time (e.g., the religious and scientific debate over the earthquake) and shows individual countries' reactions to the news, which includes information on Russia and Britain's North American colonies. VERDICT For an academic-type tome, this is a thoroughly absorbing take on a momentous event. Molesky brings much-needed attention to a disaster that redefined a country's concept of itself as well as its cultural and historical progression. Anyone interested in history and especially disaster history will find this book enthralling.--Laura Hiatt-Smith, Conifer, CO

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