The European Union of Portuguese Writers (UEELP) was founded in 2022 by authors from Europe such as Maze Torquato Chotil and translators such as Dominic Stoenesco. The goal is to make Portuguese-language literature more visible on the continent.
The European Union of Portuguese Writers (UEELP) was founded in 2022 by authors from Europe such as Maze Torquato Chotil and translators such as Dominic Stoenesco. The goal is to make Portuguese-language literature more visible on the continent.
“The need to create a collective force to popularize and popularize the literary work of Portuguese-speaking writers in France and Europe comes from afar,” explains Dominique Stoenesco, former professor of Portuguese at French public schools, translator, journalist and co-author. – Founder of the magazine Latitudes and Cadernos lusófonos.
The lack of publicity can be summed up in one fact: only 2% of Portuguese-speaking authors are translated in France, including the great Portuguese-speaking authors, notes Dominic Stoenesco. Therefore, one of the main tasks is to increase the number of translations. “This is the first stage in which the French public and the reader can get to know these works better,” he says.
BUT Maze Torquato Chotil, a writer who has lived in France for several decades., has several books published in Portuguese and some in French. She reiterates the need for translations. “In France, we have a Brazilian, Portuguese-speaking public, to whom we can show books in Portuguese. This is of great importance, but we also have to translate into non-Portuguese speaking French. There are several areas of work. And it’s huge,” says the author.
literary party
In addition to the insufficient number of translations, there are problems with duplication of works, distribution and lack of places for meetings, releases and presentations of authors. To move in this direction, UEELP held its first literary festival in Paris in December.
The event brought together about 20 writers from France, Italy, Portugal and Germany and facilitated meetings, round tables and autograph sessions in one day. The authors live in Europe but come from several Portuguese speaking countries such as Angola, Brazil and Portugal.
In less than two months of existence, UEELP has about 30 authors, but the potential for growth of the organization is great. “Many people still don’t know this. When we talk about Europe, we talk about many countries. For example, in Germany, more Brazilians talk about literature in Portuguese than here in France. Therefore, it is important to say: we are here and we are writing,” says Maze Torquato Chotil.
Is there a common theme for Portuguese-speaking writers living far from their countries of origin? Dominic Stoenesco notes that “the theme of some Angolan and Brazilian authors is to present in fiction and novels the history of their country, history in the broadest sense of the word.”
