I don't think the Mensagem is primarily a historical work. Rather, it describes a spiritual path, using symbols drawn from Portuguese history. The problem isn't

I don't think the Mensagem is primarily a historical work. Rather, it describes a spiritual path, using symbols drawn from Portuguese history. The problem isn't so much the required cultural background; because it builds on the Portuguese posture in life, the book is utterly opaque to foreigners, even more so than the rest of his work.