"I never saw the beauty of the sea."

"My tree atop the hill murmurs its gratitude."

"Olive trees drip slow tears of immense sorrow, knowing they can never embrace one another."

Jan Oskar Hansen’s attitudes are evident in his poetry: his wish that people were kinder and gentler; his abhorrence of war, his sense of humour about the senseless things people, including himself, have done.

But it’s his love of plants, animals and all of nature - such a great admiration that he often uses personification, giving nature human qualities and emotions in his poems—that is most evident. Perhaps it’s this quality - along with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour - that makes his poems so unique and endearing.
Letters from Portugal is divided into six chapters: On Love, On War, On People, On Poetry, Hansen Snapshots, and Letters from Portugal: actual letters from the poet to his editor.

There's something for everyone here - even those who aren't frequent readers of poetry will be moved by Hansen's passion, amused by his sarcasm, and delighted by his ability to paint pictures of the simple things in ordinary life - making them extraordinary.