State exercises preference on manuscripts of Person and other authors

According to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCJD), “the acquisition, formally completed on 10 August, represented an investment of EUR 73,625.99, of which EUR 47,464,10 correspond to the core person and EUR 26,161,89 to the set of documents of the other Portuguese authors”.

The acquisition “seen a rare set of autograph documents, i.e., written by some of the greatest Portuguese writers, at an auction of Cabral Moncada”, held on June 1, and the acquired pieces become part of the “collections of the National Library of Portugal (BNP), reinforcing one of the most important repositories of the literary memory of the country”, reads in the statement released by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCJD).

Among the acquired goods, are originals of Vitorino Nemésio, Teixeira de Pascoaes, correspondence between Camilo and Ana Plácido and poems and letters from Fernando Pessoa to Ophelia Queiroz, which “strengthen the spoil” of the writer, preserved by BNP.

The ministry led by Margarida Balseiro Lopes highlights this core of the author of “Message”, for including originals “that complement typed versions already preserved in the personal estate of BNP, as well as correspondence addressed to Ofelia Queiroz”.

“ Until now, the National Library kept only one letter from Pessoa to his only known girlfriend”, explains the statement. “The documents, from the niece-granddaughter Maria da Graça Queirós add new elements about the poet’s work and reveal less documented aspects of his personal life.”.

The same auction ensured the purchase of the autograph manuscript of “The Universal Man”, by Teixeira de Pascoaes, “which reinforces the representation of this author in the collections of the BNP, where the manuscript of ‘A Walk’ is already preserved”, incite the MCJD.

“ An autograph short story by Vitorino Nemésio, illustrative of the early years of literary production of the writer, and letters by Camilo Castelo Branco and Ana Plácido, which complement the information already existing about the personal trajectory of both and the literary trajectory of the author of “The Fall of an Angel”, are also part of the set acquired.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, quoted in the statement, considers that “the acquisition and integration of these unique documents into the collections of the National Library of Portugal opens new possibilities for study and knowledge about Portuguese literature”.

For Margarida Balseiro Lopes, this acquisition means “preserving precious testimonies of the creative process of some of our most relevant authors and, at the same time, ensuring access to all stakeholders”.

Much of the documents that become State property “belong to writers whose work is already public domain, which enhances their digitization and availability in open access to researchers, teachers, students and readers in Portugal or abroad”, concludes the statement of the MCJD.