''Luuanda'' is a book by the Angolan writer
José Luandino Vieira
José Luandino Vieira (born José Vieira Mateus da Graça on 4 May 1935) is an Angolan writer of short fiction and novels.
Biography
Vieira was born in Lagoa de Furadouro, Ourém, Portugal to impoverished parents—his father was a cobbler, his m ...
published in 1963 by Edições 70 in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
; an English translation by Tamara L. Bender was published by Heinemann (
African Writers Series
The African Writers Series (AWS) is a collection of books written by African novelists, poets and politicians. Published by Heinemann (publisher), Heinemann, 359 books appeared in the series between 1962 and 2003.
The series has provided an int ...
no. 222) in 1980. The book is a collection of three stories, "Grandma Xíxi and Her Grandson Zeca Santos," "The Tale of the Thief and the Parrot," and "The Tale of the Chicken and the Egg."
''Luuanda'' is a historic book, considered to have been an agent of a break with Portuguese norms in Angolan literature. For its innovative storytelling and charismatic writing, the book was widely applauded upon publication and received two literary prizes, the D. Maria José Abrantes Mota Veiga Prize, given in
Luanda
Luanda () is the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport ...
in 1964, and the 1st Prize for a Novel awarded by the Portuguese Writers' Society (PWS) in Lisbon in 1965. The publication of ''Luuanda'' and the acclaim it received caused a serious stir in Portugal under
Salazar's rule, leading to the dissolution of the PWS by the regime.
As Margarida Calafate Ribeiro writes in the introduction to her interview with Luandino, "''Luuanda'' gained a place in both Portuguese and Angolan history as a key moment of 'enfrentamento'
onfrontation Its commemoration involves, for us, José Luandino Vieira sharing the history of Luanda."
[Ribeiro, Margarida Calafate. "E agora José, Luandino Vieira? An Interview with José Luandino Vieira." ''Portuguese Literary & Cultural Studies'' 15/16 (2010).]
See also
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Censorship in Portugal
Censorship was an essential element of Portuguese national culture throughout the country's history up until the Carnation Revolution in 1974. From its earliest history Portugal was subject to laws limiting freedom of expression. This was mainl ...
*
Literature of Angola
Angolan literature has its origins in the mid-19th century. The diversity of Angola's culture is reflected in the diversity of its literature, which traditionally has been combative and satirical.
As Angola was a colony of Portugal, it is a Lus ...
References
External links
Russell Hamilton on ''Luuanda'' in ''Voices from an Empire: A History of Afro-Portuguese Literature''''Luandino'' Vieira in ''Encyclopædia Britannica''
Angolan novels
Heinemann (publisher) books
African Writers Series
Books by José Luandino Vieira
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