Portuguese Literature: Late 20th and Early 21st Century
The arrival of democracy in Portugal produced significant legislative and economic changes in Portuguese society, bringing about social change. These democratic advances enabled a clear cultural promotion. Two decisive factors in the emergence of new storytellers during the 1980s were the creation of business-minded publishers and the emergence of literary prizes for narrative. This led to a new and heterogeneous group of narrators, which literary critics called the “Promotion of Narrative Prizes”: Alfredo Conde, Xavier Alcalá, Víctor F. Freixanes, José M. Oca Martínez, Francisco Martín, and others.
Key Authors and Works of the 1980s
- Alfredo Conde’s work highlights the novel *The Griffin Will Have Wind* (1984), which won the National Prize for Literature. The dominant theme in his works is the problem of loneliness and freedom of the individual in the world around them.
- In the works of Xavier Alcalá, an autobiographical component is clearly present, as in the novel *Our Gray* (1980), where he makes an attractive and dynamic portrait of the young generation born, like him, after the war.
- Víctor F. Freixanes was established as a narrator with his first novel, *Triangle Inscribed on the Circle* (1981), which, in an epic tone between legend and history, presents the story of Marine Life, a dynasty of Galician navigators.
New Themes and Forms in the 1990s
In the 1990s, a group of authors emerged who introduced new themes and expressive forms to Portuguese narrative. The great majority were born after 1950, began publishing narrative in the 1980s, and their creative work also affected other fields: poetry, journalism, theater, and more. New forms and themes emerged, such as the noir (or police) novel, the chronicle-novel, and the science fiction novel. In correspondence with the diversity of styles and themes, the authors used a rich variety of linguistic registers.
Carlos G. Reigosa, Darío Xohán Cabana, Suso de Toro, Manuel Rivas, Manuel Forcadela, and Xosé Cid are some of the most important new storytellers.
- Carlos G. Reigosa experimented with different narrative forms, but his most relevant work was in crime fiction. *Crime in Compostela* (1983) pioneered the genre of noir in Portuguese literature.
- Darío Xohán Cabana built a narrative universe that blurs the lines between the real and the imaginary, often returning to past history, as he does in his novel *Galve in Saor* (1989).
- Suso de Toro wrote books of short stories, such as *Polaroid* (1986) and *Tic-Tac* (1993), and novels like *Lola’s Shoes* (1997) and *He Has Not Returned* (2000). He focuses on the representation of Portuguese society today, with urban settings dominated by consumerism, superficiality, violence, and absurdity.
- Manuel Rivas is known for works such as *What Do You Want From Me, Love?* (1996), a storybook, and *The Carpenter’s Pencil* (1998), a novel. In his work, the theme of tension between tradition and modernity, between rural and urban areas of society, is omnipresent.
Children’s and Young Adult Literature
Finally, it is important to note that children’s and young adult literature is undoubtedly enjoying its brightest moment, mainly due to compulsory schooling in Portuguese, the appearance of authors and collections aimed at children and youth, as well as specific literary prizes. Some authors who contributed to creating literature for children and young people have already been mentioned: Darío Xohán Cabana, Suso de Toro, and Manuel Rivas. Other authors of recognized prestige are, for example, Xabier P. Docampo, Fina Casalderrey, Agustín Fernández Paz, Miguel Vázquez Freire, and Manuel Lorenzo.