On his visceral relationship with the mother island

“The island is the mother, it is the fatality of the islanders. Even the most straying, as Antero seemed to be, choose the island as their tomb, in other words, their cradle in which to revive. I hope they invite me, provide me with the conditions, since I have no material possessions, to die in peace on my island.”
(Natália Correia, in response to Fernando Dacosta, in an interview she gave to O Jornal: January 29, 1982: 15.)

These excerpts from Natália Correia are translated to English by the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department and the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute, both at Fresno State as part of our Cátedra Natália Correia, to bring awareness to our students, faculty, and community at large the vast and profound works of Natália Correia, one of Portugal’s premier writers and thinkers of the 20th century.