“Literary Conversations on Asia”, with Joaquim Magalhães de Castro

Literary discussions on journeys to Asia, featuring renowned writers, prove to be spaces for cultural exchange, reflection and discovery. In these exchanges, the authors explore not only the places they have visited, but also the encounters, social contrasts and inner transformations brought about by travel. By sharing their experiences, the authors reflect on the limits of language, the challenges of cultural translation and the ethical responsibility of representing different realities.

These conversations highlight the role of the traveller-writer as a cultural mediator, who interprets the ‘other’ and confronts their own self, where travel becomes an intellectual and emotional journey that broadens horizons – for both the writer and the reader.

Biographical note
Joaquim Magalhães de Castro was born in Caldas de São Jorge, in Santa Maria da Feira. A writer, freelance journalist, photographer and researcher into the history of Portuguese expansion, he is the author of the books Mar das Especiarias, Viagem ao Tecto do Mundo – O Tibete Desconhecido, No Mundo das Maravilhas (included in the National Reading Scheme), Oriente Distante and Na Senda de Fernão Mendes Pinto.

He has published the photo albums The Bayingyis of the Mu Valley – People of Portuguese Descent in Burma, The Wonder of the Other – In the Footsteps of Fernão Mendes Pinto and Sagres – Our Boat.
He is also the director of the television documentaries Bayingyi, the Other Face of Burma, The Himalayas – Journey of the Portuguese Jesuits and From One Side to the Other – Diaries from Mongolia. He contributes to the press in Portugal and Macau, where he usually resides.