Beasts and legendary kingdoms in the imagination of overseas navigation A study of Vasco da Gama in the novel 'Peregrinação de Barnabé das Índias' (Barnabé's Pilgrimage from the Indies) by Mário Cláudio

Vasco da Gama's profile was not only defined by splendour and heroism. The novel 'Peregrinação de Barnabé das Índias' (1998), by Mário Cláudio, is an example of how Vasco da Gama, far from being a historically defined figure, is a plural source of interpretation and inference. To show that this work by Mário Cláudio is not a mere chronological reproduction of such an undertaking, we believe it is appropriate to situate the author and his work in relation to the critical tradition in which it is inserted, seeking to synthesise a path punctuated by both historical and literary manifestations that also cover the representation of Gama's voyages. Furthermore, we will see that in this work, the author explores the beliefs available in the early days of overseas navigation, consisting of the legendary kingdoms and bestiaries of our Western tradition. Such imaginary elements, still latent during the 15th and 16th centuries, will play an important role in the historical plane of this novel, underpinning the representation of an ambitious and uncontrolled imagination that reflects the complexity of the Renaissance mentality, as well as the human need for new experiences.