Literature, like other art forms, has always served an instrument for resistance, which through various discursive strategies responds to manifestations of oppression, despotism and dogmatism of various kinds. Above all, 20th century literary production — a century that witnessed a proliferation of dictatorships and authoritarian regimes, armed conflicts, wars and genocides, despite humanity's extraordinary progress in multiple areas — was marked by a strong sense of social, cultural or political engagement, which also extends to literary creation in the 21st century. Also in the Portuguese-speaking countries, one of the recurrent themes in modern and contemporary literary production has been the criticism towards the arbitrariness by authoritarian governments, as is the case of the Salazar regime — which stifled Portuguese society for over forty years and prolonged colonial exploitation in Africa — and by the dictatorial regimes established in the second half of the last century in Brazil and other Latin American countries. The aim of this dossier is to present some expressions of critical thinking on the literary production that deals with this subject. Therefore, eight studies devoted to the analysis of works by Portuguese and Brazilian authors who, at different times and through different forms of expression, reacted against authoritarian tendencies in Lusophone societies are gathered here.

Graça Morais, a prominent artist in Portuguese art, uses her creations to establish a dialogue with Literature and explore female identity and metamorphosis. This article examines how her visual images have inspired writers such as José Saramago and Miguel Torga, and it analyzes the relationship between her work and themes such as the place of origin and transformation. With a critical approach, the text aims to reveal how the artist uses art to reflect on the female condition and the iconography of Trás-os-Montes, highlighting the continuity between her works and literary narrative.

This article presents a reflection through the proposition of Brazilian literary critic Antonio Candido about literature as one of the human rights, understood as a right to fable in the last instance. Analyzing the work and living conditions of writers such as the author of the novel Os supridores, José Falero, some conceptions of literature are critically discussed from the perspective of the Social History, as well as the formulation of a Romantic perspective of the writer as a creative genius. The approach developed is based on theoretical assumptions formulated especially by Raymond Williams and E. P. Thompson. 

This article seeks to present an overview of the presence of women in Brazilian literature, from the perspective of their historical exclusion from the means and possibilities of reading and writing, whether due to the distinctive cultural capital enjoyed by white women belonging to the aristocracy, or due to the distinctive structural racism experienced by enslaved and segregated indigenous and Afrodescendant women. Contemporary literature has been a space for confronting this legacy of racial, social class and gender oppression both in Brazil and in the post- -colonial world. 

In this essay, we will attempt to question whether the right to literature — to aesthetic pleasure, to the ambiguous world of controlled fantasy, to the exploration of an unconscious not always intuited but often sensed — is at risk with the emergence of texts artificially constructed by machines, programmed by humans but with a life of their own, challenging an authority on the brink of collapse. How can we address human needs such as enigmas and their deciphering, escapism, excitement, humor, identity, confrontation with the self, self-knowledge, aesthetic sensation, linguistic experimentation, social awareness, and the issue of gender? Will programs like ChatGPT or similar tools be capable of handling this fundamental right? Can social media be adequate substitutes? I don’t believe so. The right to literature, to narrative, to language play cannot be reduced to simulacra or masks. It is urgent to reconsider the man/ artistic creation dichotomy and to preserve literature as a structuring element of life. 

It is unusual for workers to dedicate time to writing literature. Nonetheless, this study mapped a set of books written by workers: housekeepers, sanitation workers and textile workers. These books were examined to identify what might have led these workers to write. The results suggest that the world of labor and life experiences guide these literary works, and the notion of testimony is the most appropriate foundation for thinking about them. Fictional instances are present in the description of facts or choices made, but the heart of the works dwells on the reflection on one’s own trajectory, on the meaning of writing, which, in the world experienced by the writers, did not seem to have any meaning. Literature, thus, appears as an alternative to a life of restrictions and violence, in search of a possible way out. 

History and Literature are fields nuanced by criticism. The use of literary sources as an instrument for rescuing memories about wars, crises and transformations reinforces the focus on the 20th century. With a qualitative approach, the choice falls on authors who used words as critical points. When writing about idiosyncrasies and contexts, Virginia Woolf (1882- 1941) and Clarice Lispector (1920-1977) — in the search for autonomy and freedom — point to interpretations of individual, family, and collective memories. They transit between freedom and autonomy, transgressions between feminist waves and extreme situations. The writing of both authors highlights the notion of perspective on the unknown and the future. Between places and anguish transcribed in novels, short stories and essays reveal the paradoxes of lived times, in addition to incessant daydreams in search of freedom. 

This study presents a reflection on the main cultural manifestations on the island of Príncipe and their significance in the construction of Príncipe’s identity process. Surveys were carried out with teachers, final year students, and educational leaders on the role of Humanities teaching and a particular literary corpus in the construction of cultural identity. The research strongly suggested that the people of Principe positively validate a literary corpus oriented towards themes related to the past prior to independence and wish to deepen content with greater relevance to contemporary regional culture, recognizing that literature plays a decisive role in the creation of cultural identity.

O presente Relatório de Estágio pretende refletir sobre a prática pedagógica desenvolvida por nós no âmbito do estágio profissional nas disciplinas de Português e de Espanhol, realizada no ano letivo de 2013/2014, no Agrupamento de Escolas do Fundão. Para além desta reflexão, centraremos ainda a nossa atenção no ensino da poesia de Cesário Verde no Ensino Secundário, uma vez que este foi o conteúdo central de duas das nossas aulas observadas e que nos permitiu refletir sobre algumas problemáticas aí experienciadas. Assim, no primeiro capítulo faremos uma contextualização e uma reflexão sobre todo o trabalho desenvolvido durante o nosso estágio pedagógico, nas disciplinas de Português e de Espanhol. Depois, num segundo capítulo apresentaremos algumas considerações sobre o ensino da poesia de Cesário Verde no Ensino Secundário, resultadas da nossa própria experiência, da análise de seis manuais e da aplicação de um questionário a uma amostra de alunos de 11º ano de escolaridade.

Apesar de originalmente relacionada à literatura, Helena de Troia transita entre todas as artes. Da pintura ao cinema, passando pela música, o teatro e, claro, a poesia, o cariz transcendental da personagem homérica confirma a sua complexidade e a fascinação que produz no público em geral, seja leitor ou espectador. Os questionamentos acerca de suas atitudes ambíguas provocam ainda hoje discussões infindáveis, o que fez Helena tornarse uma das figuras mais emblemáticas da cultura ocidental. No entanto, a abordagem romântica da relação entre a rainha espartana e o príncipe troiano é o viés mais comum reproduzido pela indústria cinematográfica norte-americana: mulher apaixonada, leal aos seus sentimentos e fio condutor de uma trama repleta de elementos passionais que culminam na transcendental e mitológica Guerra de Troia.