Life and Works of Natália Correia

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Born in Fajã de Baixo (São Miguel Island, Azores) on September 13, 1923, Natália Correia distinguished herself as a poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, translator, screenwriter, journalist, and editor, leaving a relevant mark in the field of Portuguese literature of the 20th century.

She befriended important authors in the cultural world, such as Cruzeiro Seixas, Tomaz Ribas, Martins Correia, José Augusto França, and David Mourão Ferreira. She promoted numerous literary and artistic gatherings in her home and at “Botequim,” a bar she founded in 1971 that became known as the venue for Lisbon gatherings attended by prominent cultural and political figures.

Her first book, Grandes Aventuras de um Pequeno Herói, a children’s narrative, was published in 1946. Her work spans different genres, including fiction, theatre, essay writing and poetry, in which she is most notable, with books such as Rio de Nuvens (1947), prefaced by Campos de Figueiredo; Vinho e Lira (1969), heavily censored; Sonetos Românticos (1990), a compilation of love poems; or her last book dated the year of her death, O Sol nas Noites e o Luar nos Dias.

An admirer of the Medieval Cancioneiro, she organized the Anthology of Erotic and Satirical Poetry (1966), Cantares dos Trovadores Galego-Portugueses (1970), Antologia da Poesia do Período Baroco (1982), and other anthologies of Portuguese poetry.

In addition to her literary activity, Natália Correia performed other functions in the cultural field. In 1977, she was the coordinator for publisher Arcádia, director of the publications Século-Hoje and Vida Mundial, and consultant for Internal Cultural Affairs at the State Secretariat for Culture.

She also stood out in the political field: before 1974, she supported MUD (Democratic Unity Movement) and the candidacies of Norton de Matos and Humberto Delgado for the Presidency of the Republic; after the Revolution, she was an active member of Parliament from 1979 to 1991, famous for her parliamentary speeches.

Among several distinctions, in 1976, she was awarded “La Fleur de Laure” literary prize, established by the Center International de Poésie Néo-Latine and the Comité du Prix Petrarque de Poésie Néo-Latine. In 1991, she received the Grand Prize for Poetry from the Portuguese Writers Association for her book Sonetos Românticos.

In 1981, she was awarded the rank of Grand Officer of the “Military Order of Santiago da Espada,” and in 1991, the rank of Grand Officer of the “Order of Liberty.”

Natália Correia died suddenly at her home in Lisbon on 16 March 1993, shortly after returning from “Botequim.”

in : https://www.uc.pt/en/bguc/activities/natalia-correia-1923-1993/

Natália Correia’s books: