The novel The Calling (O Chamamento), with a preface by Rita Ferro, is now available in bookstores nationwide. It was launched in Ponta Delgada at Livraria Letras Lavadas on January 16 and more recently, on January 23, at Livraria Lar Doce Livro in Angra do Heroísmo.

João Gago da Câmara, 69, is a writer with a long career in journalism and broadcasting. He began his professional life in print journalism at Correio dos Açores, at a time when the daily newspaper was directed by Jorge do Nascimento Cabral. He later founded his own newspaper, Correio do Norte, a weekly that initially covered the entire northern coast of São Miguel Island before expanding to the rest of the island. The paper was free to readers and supported by advertising.

Gago da Câmara later contributed to the full range of regional and diaspora print media, alternating that work with weekly radio columns. He also became a columnist for Visão, one of Portugal’s most respected magazines, with which he continues to collaborate. Above all, João Gago da Câmara built a distinguished career as a professional broadcaster at RTP—Rádio e Televisão de Portugal—where he worked for 34 years.

From Volcanoes to Exile

Gago da Câmara has published two previous books: From Volcanoes to Exile (Dos Vulcões ao Desterro) and Fragments Between Two Continents (Fragmentos entre dois Continentes). The former examines Azorean emigration to the island of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil in 1748, during the reign of King João V. At the time, the Azores were struck by devastating natural disasters that made life impossible on some islands, particularly those of the central group. The king authorized Azorean emigration to those distant southern territories of the sister nation. Today, the book is consulted in national libraries.

Fragments Between Two Continents “introduces us to stories of Azoreans, but also of mainland Portuguese—some unfortunate emigrants, others prosperous. It draws us into island life, invites us to the Holy Spirit festivals, to pilgrimages, to hunting wild rabbits, or to stews cooked in volcanic calderas.”

Now comes The Calling, a novel inspired by real events and already considered by critics to be “the best literary work of 2025.”

Challenging himself—having never before written a novel—João Gago da Câmara encountered the story of an Azorean emigrant from Terceira Island, giving rise to The Calling. The book has already been hailed as the best work of 2025 by the distinguished Azorean historian, man of letters, and jurist Dr. Carlos Melo Bento, writing in his literary column in Açoriano Oriental.

According to the author, The Calling “is a work inspired by real events that portrays the life of an Azorean family shaped by emigration and the longing for a better future. The story unfolds on Terceira Island, specifically in the parish of Raminho, where the young António Cota finds himself torn between his attachment to his roots and his fascination with the unknown.

“From an early age, António feels restless with the monotony of his homeland and the routine of farm work, where he labors to support his family. The weight of tradition and the moral obligation to care for his aging parents stand in contrast to the call of America, where his brothers live. António’s decision becomes inevitable: the call of America is stronger than the fear of leaving the island. Yet doubt remains—can one leave without losing a part of oneself? It is an emotional story about courage, destiny, and the eternal struggle between what we leave behind and what lies ahead.”

The novel also takes readers to a time when António Cota faces the Atlantic on a perilous three-month journey to New York, from where he continues by train to Wyoming, the heart of the Wild West—still marked by conflicts between Native Americans, cowboys, and the cavalry. His boldness allows him to live constantly on a knife’s edge.

Casa dos Açores and FNAC

The Calling, with a preface by Rita Ferro, is available in all bookstores. It was launched in Ponta Delgada at Livraria Letras Lavadas on January 16 and on January 23 at Livraria Lar Doce Livro in Angra do Heroísmo.

In February, the book will be launched at Casa dos Açores in Lisbon, at FNAC, and quite possibly in the United States as well.

“João Gago da Câmara Rises to the Occasion”

Writing in Filamentos (arts and letters), a diaspora-focused publication, journalist Santos Narciso offers this assessment of The Calling, from which we reproduce a brief excerpt:

“In this novel, João Gago da Câmara rises to the occasion without ceasing to be himself—irreverent in just the right measure, endowed with an adventurous spirit characteristic of someone who knows how to remain youthful and open-minded, a figure who asserts himself through a distinct and independent way of being. This leads him to be passionate about the things he loves and does—from journalism and radio to aviation and sports.”

Author Already at Work on Another Novel

Without revealing too much, João Gago da Câmara is already writing another novel, also inspired by real events.

In addition to his literary pursuits, the author is passionate about aviation. He earned his pilot’s license and acquired his own aircraft, flying across the country from north to south. He also owns a motorhome that frequently takes him across Europe and even to Asia, accompanied by his partner and their small dog, Migas. “Migas goes everywhere with us,” the writer added jokingly.

The Calling, a novel that honors Azorean literature, stands as the work of the moment—both in the Azores and throughout Portugal.

Marco Sousa is a journalist for Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros, director.

Translated by Diniz Borges