Vergílio António Ferreira,

JOSE Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya * Jose the Galilea ...

(Melo, Gouveia, 28 January 1916 – Lisbon, 1 March 1996) was a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

writer, essayist, professor and a key figure in Portuguese-language literature. His prolific literary output, comprising works of fiction (novels, short-stories and novellas), philosophical essays and literary diaries, are generally divided into neorealism, dominant in Portuguese fiction at the time, and

existentialism Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and valu ...

. In 1992, Ferreira was awarded the

Camões Prize The Camões Prize (Portuguese, ''Prémio Camões'', ), named after Luís de Camões, is the most important prize for literature in the Portuguese language. It is awarded annually by the Portuguese ''Direção-Geral do Livro, dos Arquivos e das Bi ...

, a literary prize that seeks to distinguish the great names of Portuguese-language literature. His name remains linked to Portuguese literature through the annual attribution of the Literary Prize Vergílio Ferreira by the Municipality of Gouveia.

Biography

Ferreira entered a seminary at the age of 10 and left when he was 16. Later he studied at the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The u ...

. His experiences are related in his most famous work ''Manhã Submersa'' (''Misty Morning'', lit. ''Submerged Morning''), which was published in 1953 and made into a film in 1980. Among his best novels is also ''Aparição'' (1959). He worked most of his life as a teacher in several places around Portugal. dedão

Works

Fiction

* 1938 ''A curva de uma vida'' (posthumous) * 1943 ''O Caminho Fica Longe'' * 1944 ''Onde Tudo Foi Morrendo'' * 1946 ''Vagão "J"'' * 1947 ''Promessa'' * 1949 ''Mudança'' * 1954 ''Manhã Submersa'' * 1959 ''Aparição'' * 1953 ''A Face Sangrenta'' * 1960 ''Cântico Final'' * 1962 ''Estrela Polar'' * 1963 ''Apelo da Noite'' * 1965 ''Alegria Breve'' * 1971 ''Nítido Nulo'' * 1971 ''Apenas Homens'' * 1974 ''Rápida, a Sombra'' * 1976 ''Contos'' * 1979 ''Signo Sinal'' * 1983 ''Para Sempre'' * 1986 ''Uma Esplanada Sobre o Mar'' * 1987 ''Até ao Fim'' * 1990 ''Em Nome da Terra'' * 1993 ''Na Tua Face'' * 1995 ''Do Impossível Repouso'' * 1996 ''Cartas a Sandra

Essays

* 1943 ''Sobre o Humorismo de Eça de Queirós'' * 1957 ''Do Mundo Original'' * 1958 ''Carta ao Futuro'' * 1963 ''Da Fenomenologia a Sartre'' * 1963 ''Interrogação ao Destino, Malraux'' * 1965 ''Espaço do Invisível I'' * 1969 ''Invocação ao Meu Corpo'' * 1976 ''Espaço do Invisível II'' * 1977 ''Espaço do Invisível III'' * 1981 ''Um Escritor Apresenta-se'' * 1987 ''Espaço do Invisível IV'' * 1988 ''Arte Tempo'' * 1998 ''Espaço do Invisível V'' (posthumous)

Diaries

* 1980 ''Conta-Corrente I'' * 1981 ''Conta-Corrente II'' * 1983 ''Conta-Corrente III'' * 1986 ''Conta-Corrente IV'' * 1987 ''Conta-Corrente V'' * 1992 ''Pensar'' * 1993 ''Conta-Corrente-nova série I'' * 1993 ''Conta-Corrente-nova série II'' * 1994 ''Conta-Corrente-nova série III'' * 1994 ''Conta-Corrente-nova série IV'' * 2001 ''Escrever'' (posthumous) * 2010 ''Diário Inédito'' (posthumous)

References

1916 births 1996 deaths People from Gouveia, Portugal Portuguese male novelists Portuguese agnostics University of Coimbra alumni Prix Femina Étranger winners Camões Prize winners 20th-century novelists 20th-century Portuguese writers 20th-century male writers {{Portugal-writer-stub