Luis Melo’s new book: The south end of town revisited

Azorean author and lawyer Luís Mesquita de Melo, 60, launched his latest novel, “Nas Esquinas do Olhar” (At the Corners of the Gaze), on Saturday to an almost full house at Livraria Portuguesa.

The event marked the continuation of a literary journey that has taken readers from the Atlantic shores of the Azores to the vibrant cultures of Macau and Vietnam, spanning from the 1980s to the present.

In a brief interview with the Macau Daily Times, Melo reflected on the changes in Macau since the 1980s, admitting that “so much has changed,” though some habits die hard: “The old smoky casinos gave way to cathedrals that hide the true nature of the city. The dark side of casinos, as reflected in my book, is still the same, but the lights are brighter.”

Born in Horta, on the island of Faial, Melo studied law at the University of Lisbon before embarking on an international career. In the 1990s, he moved to Macau, where he contributed to legislative modernization efforts and served as an advisor to the president of the Legislative Assembly.

After practicing law in Portugal, he returned to Macau and later relocated to Vietnam, where he currently works. In both locations—central to the narrative of his novel—he served as a legal counsel and corporate executive in the gaming industry.

This privileged position gave Melo inspiration for his writing. “The inside knowledge of the casino industry, especially having witnessed human weaknesses, inspired me to write from a different perspective—opposed to the glamour of a certain idea of gambling,” he explained.

“Nas Esquinas do Olhar” is described as “a profound exploration of human experiences,” set across the 1980s to the present day, according to the book’s introduction, published by Astrolábio in Lisbon.

The novel intertwines the lives of three protagonists, including Álvaro dos Reis, a character whose name subtly nods to the heteronyms of Fernando Pessoa. It delves into the darker side of gambling in Macau and the grim realities of human exploitation in Vietnam.

For lawyer Sérgio de Almeida Correia, who presented the book on Saturday, Melo’s engaging writing style immerses the reader in the plot, “as if [the reader] becomes part of the story, identifying with the characters” in their daily struggle to exist—to be.

“At some point, when you are immersed in the reading, it’s hard to tell fact from fiction,” Correia added, attributing this effect to the fact that Melo’s latest work is “pretty much autobiographical.”

In conclusion, Correia categorized the novel as part of the “great tradition of travel literature.”

And Melo, a sailor himself, has already embarked on a voyage in his quest to pull up anchor from his origins and sail into pure fiction, a truly universal theme.

“Imagine a hotel built in the middle of the ocean, and all the possibilities it can witness when it comes to human nature… But to be honest, I don’t know where this will take me until I develop this idea further. But I have the title in mind: ‘Floating Hotel,’” the author told the Times.

“Nas Esquinas do Olhar” is Melo’s third book, following “A Humidade dos Dias” (2019) and “Navegações e Outras Errâncias” (2021), which delve into his Azorean roots and global narratives.