Maria da Graça Freire (1916?–1993) was a Portuguese writer of novels and short stories.

Early life

Maria da Graça Freire was born on 1 October 1916(?) in Cartaxo in the

Santarém District The District of Santarém ( pt, Distrito de Santarém ) is a district of Portugal, located in Portugal's ''Centro Region''. The district capital is the city of Santarém. The district is the 3rd largest in Portugal, with an area of , and a pop ...

of Portugal, one of four daughters of João Ribeiro de Oliveira Freire and Maria Emília da Cunha Freire. One of her sisters was the poet,

Natércia Freire Natércia Freire GOIH (28 October 1919 – 17 December 2004) was a Portuguese journalist, writer, poet and translator. Early life Natércia Ribeiro de Oliveira Freire was born in Benavente in the Santarém District of Portugal, the last of fou ...

. In her teens she suffered from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and was expected to die, but survived. At that time the family moved to the Portuguese capital of

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 ...

, following the death of her father. In 1936, after marriage with Cláudio Azambuja Martins, she left for Portuguese Angola, where they stayed, until 1943-1944.

Career

Freire's first literary writings (as Maria da Graça Azambuja) date back to 1944-1945, with the publication of short stories in ''Atlântico'' magazine. Her 1946 volume of short stories, ''As Estrelas Moram Longe'' (The Stars Live Far Away), denounced social inequality, sexism and poverty. Her time in Angola led to her first novel, ''A primeira viagem'' (The first journey), which was published in 1952 and won the Ricardo Malheiros Award. In 1955 she started divorce proceedings, which caused some scandal in

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Portugal, and married in the following year Antero Miranda Mendes, a lawyer, who later became director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation travelling libraries service. Freire's 1950s novel, ''Bárbara Casanova'', represented an attack on male society and was seen as being critical of the '' Estado Novo'' regime's approach to women. Her novel, ''A terra foi-lhe negada'' (The earth was denied to you), which won the Eça de Queiroz Award in 1958, features the marriage between a white woman and a mixed-race man, highlighting the sexism and racism of Portuguese society. A 1971 essay, ''Portugueses e negritude'', argues for the independence of Portugal's colonies, at a time when the ''Estado Novo'' was fighting to retain them. Freire's best-known short story is ''The Death of Benjamim Trovisco''. This was published in Italy as part of a collection that included stories by

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...

Isaac Bashevis Singer Isaac Bashevis Singer ( yi, יצחק באַשעװיס זינגער; November 11, 1903 – July 24, 1991) was a Polish-born American Jewish writer who wrote and published first in Yiddish and later translated himself into English with the help ...

, Gabriel García Márquez,

Camilo José Cela Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia (; 11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002) was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Literat ...

, Italo Calvino and others.

Death

Freire died in Lisbon on 13 May 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freire, Maria da Graça 1916 births 1993 deaths 20th-century Portuguese writers Portuguese women short story writers Portuguese women writers People from Santarém District