João Albano Fernandes é o vencedor da IV edição do Prémio Literário Natália Correia com o romance ‘Caindo de Mais Alto’. Natural de Águeda, no distrito de Aveiro, e formado em Arquitectura pela Universidade de Coimbra, o autor confessa que só descobriu o gosto pela escrita um pouco mais tarde, inspirado pelo avô e pelo tio – “dois exímios contadores de histórias”. Actualmente, conta com vários prémios literários, incluindo o Prémio Nacional de Literatura Lions de Portugal, em 2023, com o romance ‘O Lixo dos Outros’. Sobre ‘Caindo de Mais Alto’, livro que o júri descreveu como detentor de uma “inequívoca maturidade literária”, o autor afirma: “tem um carácter bastante experimental e pouco usual nos meus textos. É um livro escrito a partir de um fluxo de consciência quase ininterrupto, com poucos sinais de pontuação.”

Correio dos Açores – When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
João Albano Fernandes (writer) – It happened relatively late and without me realizing it very well. It was when I started university I was 17-18 years old. I started writing short stories inspired by the stories of my grandfather and my uncle Fausto, two excellent storytellers. Perhaps because I envied their captivating power of orality and because I didn’t have the same talent, I decided to start putting these stories down on paper, where I felt most comfortable, with the time, silence, and concentration to say precisely what I wanted. In the meantime, the stories began to grow, gaining dimension, density, new characters, and contours, and before I knew it, I realized I was writing novels.

What does it mean to you to have won the Natália Correia prize?
Winning the Natália Correia prize is a tremendous honor, not least because of the author to whom the prize is dedicated. I feel very flattered and, simultaneously, a specific inhibition at seeing my name next to Natália Correia, an absolutely brilliant artist with no comparison in Portugal. Natália Correia was more than a woman; her talent and intelligence were as close to absolute as I know. Having this award associated with my career is an unparalleled milestone for me, and if I come even a little closer to the heels of this genius artist, I’ll be thrilled.

What was the initial inspiration for “Caindo de Mais Alto”? What are the central themes you wanted to explore with this book?
The book is quite experimental and unusual in my writing. It’s a book written from an almost uninterrupted stream of consciousness, with few punctuation marks. The author suddenly urges to talk about his existential anxieties, jumping between present and past, returning to his childhood, adolescence, and youth, and the permanent confrontation with his collapsing present reality. And it’s as if he can’t stop writing, otherwise he won’t be able to come back and say what he wants. It’s like a huge breath he inhales deeply as if preparing to perform an apnea. Writing time is the time of that single breath.

You’ve won several prizes throughout your career, and most recently the judges of the Natália Correia Literary Prize spoke of your “unmistakable literary maturity”. How do you describe the evolution of your writing?
I’m thrilled with the jury’s criticism and with this mention in particular. Since I was 18, when I started writing more assiduously, I feel that my writing has constantly transformed. Over time, especially in my twenties, whenever I read something I’d written before, I thought it wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I felt a long way to go to achieve the desired quality. Today I don’t feel that way so much, although there are always things to work on, paths to follow, views that change, evolve and modify. That’s why I’m glad I only published my books after I was 30. I might not have been so satisfied with the result if I had done it earlier.

On October 10th, the Ponta Delgada City Council will present the award. Is this your first award in the Azores? What is your relationship with the region?
Yes, it’s my first award in the Azores. Unfortunately, I only know São Miguel, which I’ve visited three or four times and where I love to go, not least because I have some friends there. I’ve been saying for years that I need to tour the other islands, but it hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps this award will be the impetus I need to do so. São Miguel is a wonderful place with something dreamlike for me. Of course, its natural beauty, the landscapes, the lagoons, the beaches, and the very particular architecture all contribute to this. But it’s more than that. Perhaps the sea and the insularity transport me to a parallel reality as if I suddenly saw myself in Raul Brandão’s book as if I were one of his characters who existed only in the time of reading. It’s a beautiful and poetic time, perhaps because I recognize it as ephemeral.
Are there any plans to launch the book?
According to the Ponta Delgada City Council, the book will be ready precisely on October 10, the date of the award ceremony and the opening of the Literary Encounters, when I hope to be able to read it and give it to some people.

What are your expectations of the public reception?
It’s perhaps the book I’m most curious about and fearful of people’s reception for precisely because it’s the most personal and autobiographical. Perhaps because I came out of a place of vulnerability, I feel that weight. However, at the same time, it’s a very raw and truthful book, and perhaps that truth will be appreciated by people, as it was by the jury.

What advice would you give to emerging writers who, like João, are looking for a place on the Portuguese literary scene?
For advice on finding a place in the Portuguese literary scene, I charge €500 per session. I’m not anyone to give advice, especially in our minimal and difficult-to-break scene. I can only talk about my experience of competitions and prizes. What allowed me to publish my books was precisely winning some literary competitions and awards for unpublished works, which promoted the publishing process and allowed me to reach more readers. But, of course, there are many ways to get published. Some send their work to publishers, some use their success on social networks, some self-publish, and some know the right people. Everything is valid as long as the authors have that tremendous desire to publish and have their books read. Publishing has never been easier or more complicated in Portugal. Easy because anyone can ultimately publish their book without much discretion by paying for it. Challenging in the sense of reaching the public and standing out among so many books and writers. For me, the most important thing is to write.

Daniela Canha is a journalist for the newspaper Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros, director.

PBBI-Fresno State is home to the Cátedra Natália Correia. We are thrilled to see young writers receiving these substantial prizes and the Municipality of Ponta Delgada honoring Natália Correia.

We thank the Luso-American Education Foundation for sponsoring PBBI-Fresno State, including this platform, Filamentos. Please remember to attend the LAEF conference online from October 205th to 2024.