The Cátedra Natália Correia from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) at Fresno State continues to commemorate the 100th birthday of poet Natália Correia by publishing weekly segments either of her work in English or information about the poet.
Natália Correia was born in 1923 (in the Azores, Portugal) but moved to Lisbon at the age of 11. She was a poet, novelist, essayist, journalist, writer, scriptwriter, translator, and editor and always a strong advocate of human rights, specifically women’s rights.
She was a charismatic woman with a very intense social life and a woman of passion, having married four times over her seventy years. She was a political activist and publicly disagreed with the Portuguese dictatorial regime, being sentenced to prison with a suspended sentence in 1966 for the publication of the work “Antologia da Poesia Portuguesa Erótica e Satírica” (Anthology of Erotic and Satirical Portuguese Poetry), and accused of offending the “decency,” “public morality” and “good customs” of the time. She was also tried for editorial responsibility for Novas Cartas Portuguesas (New Portuguese Letters) written by Maria Isabel Barreno, Maria Velho da Costa and Maria Teresa Horta. Natália was responsible for coordinating the publications of Editora Arcádia, one of the essential Portuguese editors at the time.
After the revolution in 1974, she was a member of the Assembly of the Republic. She participated in several television programs, such as “Mátria,” which featured the matriarchal side of Portuguese society. Throughout her life, Natália made a difference and rendered an excellent service to freedom, generating immense controversy through her irreverent and bold character. In 1971, with colleagues Isabel Meireles, Júlia Marenha, and Helena Roseta, she started the Bar Botequim, where, between 1970 and 1980, she met with a significant part of the Portuguese intellectual community.
In 1991, Correia received the Grand Prize in Poetry from the Associação Portuguesa de Escritores (Association of Portuguese Writers) for her book Sonetos Românticos (Romantic Sonnets). In the same year, she was conferred the Ordem da Liberdade (Order of Liberty); she was already the holder of the Ordem de Santiago (Order of St. James). Natália Correia died in the early morning of 16 March 1993 in Lisbon of a heart attack. Most of her literary work can be seen at the permanent exposition in the Public Library and Regional Archive in Ponta Delgada (Azores, Portugal), which celebrates her literary history. Natalia Correia is truly an inspiration!
Written by WAVE Intern: Mariana Cunha
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Filamentos (artes e letras) 