Fernão Mendes Pinto

Born: 1509

Death: 1583

Biography:

Fernão Mendes Pinto was a Portuguese explorer and writer. His voyages are recorded in Pilgrimage (Portuguese: Peregrinação), his autobiographical memoir, which was published posthumously in 1614. The historical accuracy of the work is debatable due to the many events that seem far-fetched or at least exaggerated, earning him the nickname Fernão Mentes Minto (wordplay with the Portuguese verb mentir, 'to lie', meaning "Fernão, are you lying? I am lying."). Still, many aspects of the work can be verified, particularly through records of Pinto's service to the Portuguese crown and by his association with Jesuit missionaries.