José Rodrigues Miguéis (9 December 1901,

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

– 27 October 1980,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

) was a Portuguese translator and writer.

Biography

Born to a middle-class family in the

Alfama The Alfama () is the oldest neighborhood of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the São Jorge Castle and the Tagus river. The district includes the ''freguesias'' (parishes) of São Miguel, Santo Estêvão, São Vicente de Fora and part of th ...

neighborhood of Lisbon, he was originally expected to have a career in law; taking his degree in 1924. He never practiced, however, having decided to pursue literary studies and

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

instead. In pursuit of these new interests, he attended the

Université libre de Bruxelles The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

and graduated in 1933 with a degree in Pedagogical Science. While there, he met and married a Russian-born educator named Pecia Cogan Portnoi. Together with

Raul Brandão Raul Germano Brandão (12 March 1867 in Foz do Douro, Porto – 5 December 1930 in Lisbon) was a Portuguese writer, journalist and military officer, notable for the realism of his literary descriptions and by the lyricism of his language. Brand ...

, he created a set of new primary readers, but these were never approved for use by the Portuguese government. In fact, having inherited a progressive outlook from his father, a native of Galicia, he came into conflict with the Estado Novo and left Portugal for a self-imposed exile in the United States. From 1935 until his death, he would pay only short visits to his homeland. His literary activities were supported by working as a translator and as an editor for ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

''. He remarried in 1940 and acquired U.S. citizenship in 1942. Following the war, he fell seriously ill and almost died. From that point on, he gave up his revolutionary activities and devoted himself entirely to writing. In 1961, he was elected a member of the

Hispanic Society of America The term Hispanic () are people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an ethnic or meta-ethnic term. The term commonly appl ...

and, in 1976, was given a membership at the

Lisbon Academy of Sciences The Academy of Sciences of Lisbon () is Portugal's national academy dedicated to the advancement of sciences and learning, with the goal of promoting academic progress and prosperity in Portugal. It is one of Portugal's most prestigious scientif ...

. Just one year before his death, he was awarded the

Military Order of Saint James of the Sword The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword (), formerly known as the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientific, Literary and Artistic Merit (), is one of the four former ancient Portu ...

. His biography was written by

Mário Neves Mário Neves (1912–1993) was a Portuguese journalist, born in Lisbon. He worked for 42 years as a journalist for Portuguese newspapers such as '' O Século'' and ''Diário de Lisboa'', and was the associate director of ''A Capital'' betwe ...

and published in 1990.

Works in English

* ''Happy Easter'' (''Páscoa feliz'', 1932), translated by John Byrne * ''A Man Smiles at Death with Half a Face'' (''Um homem sorri à morte com meia cara'', 1959), translated by George Monteiro * ''Steerage and Ten Other Stories'' (1983), various translators 1901 births 1980 deaths Portuguese chroniclers Writers from Lisbon Portuguese male writers Portuguese-language writers Translators from English Translators from French Translators to Portuguese 20th-century Portuguese translators 20th-century Portuguese writers 20th-century Portuguese male writers {{Portugal-translator-stub