So we were umming and ah-ing about the merits of Portugal versus Angola for the next one, so we're going to slightly - let's not get carried away, only slightly - break with tradition and go with a language rather than a concrete country this time and do a night talking about Portuguese literature in translation. Same format as always find a book, story, poem, play, something scribbled on the back of a napkin that has been translated from Portuguese and come along and talk about it.
Here is a carefully curated - ok, ok, ChatGPT generated - list of suggestions with a mix of writers from around the Portuguese speaking world. Personally, I'm going to go with Saramago because I've got a few of his books unread on my shelves...
### 🇵🇹 Portugal
- Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935) – Poet, essayist, modernist innovator
One of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century, Pessoa is known for writing under multiple heteronyms, each with a distinct voice and philosophy.
- Representative works: The Book of Disquiet, Selected Poems, Message
- José Saramago (1922–2010) – Novelist, Nobel Laureate (1998)
Saramago's novels blend allegory, philosophy, and politics with distinctive long, winding sentences. His work critiques religion, authority, and human behavior.
- Representative works: Blindness, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, Baltasar and Blimunda
- Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (1919–2004) – Poet, children’s author, classicist
A leading Portuguese poet of the 20th century, known for her crystalline language, themes of justice, sea, and myth, and lyrical clarity.
- Representative works: Selected Poems, Marine Rose, The Girl from the Sea
- Camilo Castelo Branco (1825–1890) – Romantic novelist, proto-modernist
An early master of the Portuguese novel, known for dark romantic plots, irony, and psychological depth. Precursor to the modern Portuguese novel.
- Representative works: Amor de Perdição (Love of Perdition), The Mystery of the Sintra Road
***
### 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Machado de Assis (1839–1908) – Novelist, short story writer, founding father of Brazilian literature
Known for irony, psychological insight, and narrative innovation, he’s considered Brazil’s greatest writer.
- Representative works: The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, Dom Casmurro, Philosopher or Dog?
- Clarice Lispector (1920–1977) – Novelist, short story writer, mystic stylist
A radically introspective writer whose style evokes existentialism, feminism, and mysticism, often compared to Virginia Woolf and Kafka.
- Representative works: The Hour of the Star, The Passion According to G.H., Near to the Wild Heart
- João Cabral de Melo Neto (1920–1999) – Poet, formalist innovator
Known for his austere, cerebral poetry, often reflecting the harshness of Brazil’s Northeast.
- Representative works: Education by Stone, Morte e Vida Severina (Death and Life of a Severino)
- Jorge Amado (1912–2001) – Novelist of popular life and Afro-Brazilian culture
His novels depict Bahian life, with themes of sensuality, social justice, and folklore. Widely read and translated.
- Representative works: Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, The Violent Land
***
### 🌍 Lusophone Africa
- Pepetela (b. 1941, Angola) – Novelist, political intellectual
A key figure in post-independence Angolan literature. His works reflect the country’s colonial history, socialist ideals, and disillusionment.
- Representative works: Mayombe, The Return of the Water Spirit, Yaka
- Mia Couto (b. 1955, Mozambique) – Novelist, short story writer, poet
Writes in a magical, lyrical style, blending Portuguese with African oral traditions. One of the most internationally acclaimed African writers.
- Representative works: Sleepwalking Land, Confession of the Lioness, The Tuner of Silences
- Luandino Vieira (b. 1935, Angola) – Short story writer, revolutionary
Imprisoned by the Portuguese regime, Vieira wrote about urban Angolan life using a hybridized Creole-Portuguese style.
- Representative works: Luuanda, A Vida Verdadeira de Domingos Xavier
- Paulina Chiziane (b. 1955, Mozambique) – Novelist, feminist voice
First Mozambican woman to publish a novel. Her works explore gender, tradition, and post-colonial identity, particularly within polygamous societies.
- Representative works: The First Wife, Niketche: A Story of Polygamy
