The Collected Works of Joseph Furtado includes Golden Goa!, the historical novel set during the early years of the Portuguese rule in Goa, and a collection of poems from his many published works.
The novel, Golden Goa! covers a range of themes—love, war, slavery, the Inquisition in Goa, corruption, morality, caste and class, amidst others. What is interesting is the confluence of these thematic concerns. They come together so very naturally. At no point in time, during my reading, did I feel that the narrative was forced, despite it being loud. Golden Goa! is set during the Portuguese colonial era, against the backdrop of the horrors of the Inquisition. While the so-called heretics were burnt at stake, even the profoundly good were not exempted. Intriguing characters, in the form of rajahs, noblemen, knights, priests, slaves, and thieves populate the narrative, making it succulent, but not overbearing. We also meet with some historically acclaimed figures—St. Francis Xavier, the poet Luis Camoens, and Dr. Garcia da Orta. The plot can be juxtaposed to that of global grand narratives, of star-crossed lovers, that we have all grown up reading.
The book also contains a collection of Furtado’s poetry that is a testimony of his genius. Here too, he attempts to represent all of society, be it the farmer’s wife or the Brahmin Girl; the Goan fiddler or a grandmother; the bulbul’s nest or the stray monsoon butterfly.