FICTION
Literary Fiction, Hélia Correia
A global literary sensibility. With acute historical and cultural awareness. Carries the ancient Greece tradition with her.
Hélia Correia (1949, Lisboa), a graduate in Romanic Philology,
is the 2015 recipient of the most important prize of the
Portuguese language literature, the Camões Prize. Correia is
considered a reference of the modern Portuguese fiction,
and is one of today's most prominent national writers.
Correia adopts a socially committed approach in her works,
usually showing great historical awareness of past world
conflicts or of intricate political and cultural tensions where
the poor, the refugees, and the oppressed are the main
characters of her stories.
In her playwriting works, Correia's love for ancient Greece
stands out as a major influence. Hélia Correia has also
written poetry, children literature, and was the translator of
Shakespeare, Adelaide Garcia Morales and Juan Carlos
Onetti.
She was awarded several times for her books, having won
the Pen Clube Prize (2001), the Máxima Prize of Literature
(2006), the Virgílio Ferreira Prize for her lifework (2013), The
Correntes d'Escritas / Casino da Povoa Prize (2013), the
Grand Prize Camilo Castelo Branco (2015), amongst others.
Lillias Fraser
Pages: 292
ISBN: 9789727086382
Lillias is a Scottish girl that came
from a clan decimated in the
Culloden battle during the fights
with the Englishmen. While fleeing
from the threat in her home town,
she ends up reaching Lisbon
where she takes shelter as an
illegal immigrant; firstly being
hosted in a monastery, and
afterwards with a local family.
When a catastrophic earthquake
hits Lisbon, Lillias is forced once
again to flee and moves to the
surroundings of the capital. But
the stream of events following
that episode leads her back to her
past, when she eventually meets
by surprise the commander of the
English troops in Culloden.
❝ The Plot of Lillias Fraser – which has a
fortunate ending – turns out as one well
developed shiver. It would make a period
film; an epic. All of the eventual script
can be found in this excellent novel. ❞
– Ernesto Rodrigues, Expresso (Portugal)
Sicken
Pages: 294
ISBN: 9789896411602
A biographical novel set in the XIX
century England, portraying the
vibrant love story between the
model Elizabeth Siddal and painter
and poet Dante Gabriel Rosseti.
Elizabeth Siddal (Lizzie) is universally
recognized as the Ophelia character
in the 1851 painting with the same
title, where a young and pure girl,
floating in a river right before
drowning, perfectly embodies the
feminine ideal for the pre-
Raphaelites romantics. But this
novel unveils a much dynamic and
free Lizzie that opposes all purity
and abandonment, one who looked
for the empowerment of women in
her idealistic and conservative times
and that can even be acknowledged
as a proto-feminist for her original
concepts on life and love.
*Literary Prize Inês de Castro Foundation (Portugal)
Bastardia
Pages: 82
ISBN: 9789727088348
Moisés was born in a poor village in
the rural interior of Portugal, and it
is only when he attends the funeral
of his grandmother, in the nearby
city of Leiria, that he gets to look at
the sea for the first time. From that
moment onwards it becomes an
obsession that “took over as if
someone had him abducted”, and
while Moisés longs for that “big blue
extending itself, similar to a
blooming meadow”, he starts
thinking of its magical properties
and how it could cure his infertile
wife.
But distrust and superstition from a
catholic community will bring fear to
Moisés, who have to face his own
people in the name of the illogical
passion for the sea.
Literary Fiction, Mário de Carvalho
Short fiction mastery with a dash of magic realism. Some call him the Portuguese Jorge Luis Borges.
Mário de Carvalho (1944, Lisboa) is, most probably, the best living short story writer of the Portuguese language. A graduate in Law, he had an intense political activity before dedicating his life to fiction writing: his departure to exile after the students fights against the dictatorship regime was one of the most important episodes in Mário de Carvalho's life, as well as the return to Portugal when the democratic Carnation Revolution of 1974 occurred.
Mário de Carvalho is currently published in 11 countries and
have works on different genres: novel, short story, children
writing and playwriting.
Owner of an impressive erudition and with a perfect command of the Portuguese language workings, he is the author of 25 books, nine of them having been multiple times awarded. His sophisticated irony, the universality of his themes and inventive abilities – sometimes reminding us of the fantastic atmospheres depicted by Jorge Luis Borges or inspired in the Portuguese literature classics – have resulted in translations of his books into the main market's languages: English, French, German, Italian, and others.
Amongst the most important prizes Mário de Carvalho won, it included: the Grand Prize of Short Story and Novel of the Portuguese Association of Authors, the Internazionalle Città di Cassino Prize (Italy), the Pegasus Prize for Literature, the Portuguese Pen Club Prize of Fiction, and the Vergílio Ferreira Prize for his lifetime written production. More recently, in 2014, he was distinguished with the Order of Saint James of the Sword for literary merit.
Mário de Carvalho coordinated post-graduate courses in
playwriting, as well as several workshops in fiction writing,
and was a university professor for several years.
A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening
Pages: 360
ISBN: 9789720044334
This is a sweeping, magical novel of
religious division, civil unrest, and
the consequences of hubris set
amid the pomp and decadence of
the late Roman Empire. Lucius, the
Magistrate of Tarcisis, receives
warning that invading Moors are
headed toward the city, but its
fathers refuse to take the danger
seriously. Meanwhile, within the
city walls, an outlaw sect has
appeared that signals its faith with
the sign of the fish, and Lucius
finds himself drawn to its beautiful,
charismatic leader. When the city is
besieged and its internal conflicts
nearly cripple its defenses, Lucius’s
heart is pitted against his civic
duty, and the outcome will change
forever his trust in Roman justice.
*Pegasus Prize for Literature (USA)
*Giuseppe Acerbi Literary Prize (Italy)
*Grand Prize APE/IPLB for Novel (Portugal)
*Fernando Namora Prize (Portugal)
Fantasy for Two Colonels and a Pool
Pages: 240
ISBN: 9789720047151
Two colonels discuss the westerner
European country at the edge of a
pool, and where no topic is out of
borders they bring up their
participation in the colonial wars and
how they fought for a grand Portugal
that now, in the XXI century, seems
doomed to its ridiculous
provincialism.
As they speak, a series of characters
will show up to prove the absurdity
and little lives of these Portuguese
people: the misogynous uncle who
gives wise advice to his nephew; the
lead popular singer Soraia Marina
who's fundamental to the country's
designs; or the football supporters
group who moves around Portugal as
a quadruped organism.
*Portuguese Pen Club Fiction Prize (Portugal)
*Grand Literature Prize ITF/DST (Portugal)
Vagabond Short Stories
Pages: 176
ISBN: 9789720046406
A mosaic of the small quotidian
episodes that we don't care to look
at, but which encloses all the
absurd and fantastic meanings we
carry with us in our day-to-day life.
From the conversation of two
friends who conclude that the
mystery of God can be found
inside a clam, to a municipality
idea of installing a ecological
semaphore that is man-powered
through uninterrupted cycling, all
our involuntary originalities are
shed a new light in here.
The Sub-lieutenants
Pages: 120
ISBN: 9789720044310
Thousands of young Portuguese
soldiers were forced to go into the
theatre of war in old African and
Asian colonies. This men-child are
portrayed in this book in a crude
but ironic way, showing their
dilemmas and hopes while
considering the absurdity of actively
participating in a bloodshed.
In a vicious Angola or a mythical
Timor, seductive betrayals and
death plots are planned, while the
deeds and sufferings of the
Portuguese superiority complex of
an empire saga resonates in every
bullet.
This are three stories where a string
of bitter humour is present in each
event, even in the most violent or
dim.
*Internazionalle Città di Cassino Prize (Italy)
The Unprecedented War of the Gago Coutinho Avenue
Pages: 88
ISBN: 9789720044358
A horde of Berber knights from the
XII century is suddenly transported
to the year 1984, for Clio goddess
carelessness who got
sleepy during her work with the
History tapestry and let both time
lines get mixed together. Over
10,000 Arabs, riding their horses
and fully armed, got so shocked
with the new urban landscapes that
they could only start praying to the
merciful Allah. It is only with the
help of a street policeman that
History starts sorting itself out
again: “Salam Aleikum”, he greets to
the Arab's commander.
Whoever Says The Opposite Is Right
Pages: 280
ISBN: 9789720046994
More than a manual on how to
write fiction, this book teaches how
to read as a professional writer
should and be aware of the fiction
devices in great literary pieces.
The only rule to be learned is that
“assertivism” is a charlatanism, and
that the literary waltz is not always
to be taken seriously: that writing
must accompany reading, author
shouldn't ignore the reader, and
character and action should walk
hand in hand, are all ideas easily
dismantled by historic evidence .
But the most practical issues of
creative writing are addressed as
well: How to begin a story, how to
keep it interesting for the reader, or
how to create a climax and develop
engaging and “real” characters.
*Portuguese Pen Club Prize: best Essay in 2015
(ESSAY / LITERARY FICTION)
Fiction, Rosa Lobato de Faria
The Historic, the Marvellous, and the Romantic mingles together to create easy-reading literature with a feminine touch.
Rosa Lobato de Faria (1932 – 2010, Lisboa) is represented in several short stories book's collections in Portugal and abroad, having become notorious amongst the Portuguese public as a songwriter, screenwriter and for her acting roles for television and cinema. The author has about 30 works published in the several genres: novel, short stories, poetry, children literature and playwriting, and her writing style stands out for giving predominance to the marvellous, the fantastic and the emotive themes. The author was translated into Spanish, French and German, and is already part of prestigious publisher's catalogues such as Éditions Métailié.
An obligatory reference of the new Portuguese fiction, Rosa Lobato de Faria won the Máxima Literary Prize, awarded to the most relevant works by women writers who proved to be an asset and enriching factor for the national culture. Faria's legitimation within the literature universe of Portuguese writers would lead her to the education field, where she was a university professor and taught Poetry.
The Time Corners
Pages: 208
ISBN: 9789720041814
Margarida is a young teacher of
Mathematics who, following an
invitation to give a lecture in Vila
Real, rents a room at a rural housing
where a particular century old
portrait of a beautiful young man is
hung on the wall. The thing is the
portrait resembles a lot to Miguel,
her recent passion.
It is through some inexplicable
mystery that the next morning
Margarida wakes up a hundred years
back in the past, living amongst her
ancestors. And even though, as days
go by, she begins getting accustomed
to the new time frame, Margarida
eventually meets the man of the oil
portrait and a strong desire to come
back to the XXI century and see
Miguel becomes a priority.
The Silk Birds
Pages: 208
ISBN: 9789724117584
Mario's memories, one of the main
characters of “The Silk Birds”, recalls
all events that opposes human
condition to the childhood
perennial values: where the
marvellous and love cohabit, the
precariousness of passions and
dreams of emancipation collapse.
The Salt Flower
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9789724142265
Afonso Sanches, a (real) XV century
Portuguese sailor, had extensive
training as fisherman and whaler
before heading on a fantastic
expedition to find India. Instead, by
miscalculation, he found the
coastline of America in 1481 (eleven
years before Columbus). The
fortunate event remained
nonetheless a secret, for the King of
Portugal, D. João II, was about to
sign the Tordesilhas treaty that
would distribute the new
conquered lands with the
Spaniards.
How did sailor Afonso Sanches deal
with such a secret that could
seriously break Iberia apart?
Fiction, Mário Zambujal
Fun & Wit in action-paced novels
Mário Zambujal (Moura, 1936) made a name for himself as the writer of the narrative books that contributed to the vanguard of the New Portuguese Cinema, a recognition that lead him to win, in 1984, the formal distinction of the Infante D. Henrique Order, for his “enriching contributions to the Portuguese culture”. His peculiar visual and humoristic style in writing has been accompanying Zambujal's work throughout his long career as a journalist and scriptwriter, and for television and radio.
Zambujal's most well-known work, The Good Rascals Chronicles, was a major moment of public attention for the author, in particular after its adaptation to cinema, which made the book sell over 30 editions. In 2011 there was also a theatre adaptation of this work.
Besides the dozen books Zambujal has published, he also engaged in several playwriting collaborations for the traditional Portuguese Revista Theatre, and was a success case as a scriptwriter for television, having written sitcoms that stayed on air for many years.
Talisman – The Natural
Disorder of Things
Pages: 152
ISBN: 9789897242694
Pablo Luis Martinez da Silva doesn't
believe in being lucky, and most of all
despises those who fall for it, letting
their lives be controlled by such
artificial force. That's why he wouldn't
make up excuses for almost losing
that birth at the maternity, that's why
he will make everything it takes to
reach out for that gorgeous blonde
who lost a shoe right in front of him,
and that's why he can't prevent a mad
gang of criminals from pursuing him.
The common denominator between
all these events: a Talisman that was
stolen by the women, not the amount
of bad luck it may carry.
Queen of Spades
Pages: 220
ISBN: 9789898452047
The eighteen years old boy Filipe is
dating the sister of Eva Teresa, with
only eleven years old.
There is great empathy between the
little girl and her future brother-inlaw,
but life separates them with the
family trip to Brazil. As time runs
through their fingers, they almost
forget each other; until an
unpredicted event joins them
together again, and a grown up adult
Eva becomes an unbearable passion
for Filipe, who ends up falling in love
with her.
In between improbable episodes
intertwined in mystery and complicity,
both finally get to meet in Sintra,
where a hectic romance begins.
Serpentine
Pages: 160
ISBN: 9789897241765
The small boy Bruno Barcelim
sees his routines change after his
family emigration to Canada, but
it's when he grows older, and
following a traffic accident in
which he is involved, that life
really takes a radical turn for him.
Not so much for the crash, but
after suddenly bumping on a girl
he suddenly meets.
Bruno's destiny may be
unpredictable but it's the absurd
incidents crossing his path that
turns everything into a comedy.
Fiction, Inês Botelho
A young Portuguese writer starting a surprising career with the biggest Portuguese publishing house – the Porto Editora Group.
Inês Botelho (1986, Vila Nova de Gaia – Portugal) is one of the promising young authors of the contemporary Portuguese fiction. She has been publishing since she was 16 years old, at the moment her book trilogy of the epic fantasy genre entered the market. Alongside her intense writing routines Botelho was a regular collaborator of the Bang! Magazine, contributing with chronicles that addressed the fantasy, sci-fi and horror literature.
With five books currently on the market, Botelho have been more recently exploring the literary novel with remarkable success; her last book, “The Past That We Will Become”, has been published by one of the biggest editorial groups in Portugal – the Porto Editora group.
The Past We Will
Become
Pages: 208
ISBN: 9789720040855
Elisa and Alexandre met each
other during a weekend in
Caramulo. They belong to
different social contexts, see the
world through almost opposite
perspectives, and yet are unable
to escape the attraction that
slowly takes over their bodies.
With advances and retreats, they
enter a impulsive relationship full
of challenges. Elisa is too cerebral
and wishes to be able to explain
the world in it's multiple aspects.
Alexandre, on the contrary, acts
without thinking and is only
concerned with getting the most
out of each moment. The intense
life they start experimenting in
company of each other will carry
tensions that may change them.