David Mourão-Ferreira

David Mourão-Ferreira , actually David de Jesus Mourão-Ferreira (born February 24, 1927 in Lisbon , Portugal , † June 16, 1996 there ) was a Portuguese writer . He is considered one of the most important Portuguese writers in the 20th century. He worked as a poet , playwright , critic , novelist , eroticist, screenwriter , essayist . He also worked as an editor and chief editor of various magazines and newspapers. He also worked as a politician, State Secretary for Culture (1976–1978 and 1978/79), and as a functionary in various Portuguese writers' associations.

Life

Born in Lisbon, he published his first poem at the age of 18 in the Seara Nova newspaper . His first own book was published in 1950 under the title " A Secreta Viagem " and was a volume of poetry. As a student he enrolled in the Literary Faculty of the University of Lisbon in 1945 , where he studied Romance Philology . His professors were Hernâni Cidade and Jacinto Prado Coelho . From 1952 to 1957 he worked as a research assistant at the same faculty . From 1963 to 1970 he was finally appointed full professor of literature at the literary faculty. Countless publications in magazines and newspapers followed, just over 350 reviews in over 50 newspapers and many of his own books.

Mourão-Ferreira also worked as editor-in-chief for major newspapers and magazines: as director of the magazine " Tavola Redonda " from 1954 to 1966, in 1974 director of the newspaper " A Capital " (1974) and the newspaper " O Dia " (1975/1976 ), 1984 to 1996 he was editor of the magazine " Coloquia / Letras ".

As an erotic, he was one of the very few authors in Portugal who frankly wrote openly about erotic and sometimes also pornographic topics.

He can even be seen as an actor in the TV miniseries " Um Amor Feliz " (A Happy Love) in 1991. He wrote the script for at least 4 films, and also wrote the text for the Fado " Madrugada de Alfama " sung in it for the film " Fado Corrido ". He also worked for television and radio.

He also worked as a critic for the newspaper " Diario Popular " from 1954 to 1966. He is co-founder of the International Society for Literary Criticism in 1969 in Parma , Italy. He was president of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Escritores (1965 to 1974), the Associacao Portuguesa de Escritores (1984 to 1986), the Portuguese PEN Club (1991), member of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon (1974 to 1996), corresponding member of the Academia Brasileira de Letras (1981 to 1996, Cadeira 5) and the Academie Europeene de Paris.

He was married twice and had two children.

Work (selection)

• A secreta Viagem, 1950, poems.
• Contrabando, 1956, play.
• Vinte poetas comteporeanos, 1960, essays.
• Inifinito Pessoal, 1962, poems.
• In Memoriam Memorie, 1962, Poems.
• O irmao, play, 1965.
• Hospital das letras, 1966, essays.
• Ode a Musica, 1980, poems.
• O corpo iluminado, 1987, poems.
• Nos Passos de Pessoa, 1988, Essays.
• Lisboa-Luzes e Sombras, 1994, poems.
• Musica de Cama, 1994, poems.

Screenwriter (selection)

• Almada Negreiros vivo hoje (documentation), 1970.
• To Amor Feliz, (TV miniseries), 1991.
• A Castro, (TV Movie), 1992.

Prizes and awards (selection)

• Chevalier de l ' Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic, 1973.
• Grand Cross of the Rio Branco Order of the Federative Republic of Brazil, 1976.
• Premio Jacinto Prado Coelho, 1988.
• Grand Officer and Grand Cross de Santiago de Espada of the Portuguese Republic, 1981, 1996.

Web links

• David Mourão-Ferreira , Website Colóquio , Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2006 (Portuguese, biography).
• David Mourão-Ferreira in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• David Mourão-Ferreira - Poemas escolhidos. In: escritas.org. (Portuguese, poetry collection).