José Veloso de Castro was a multifaceted figure — soldier, cartographer, colonial administrator, postcard publisher and magazine owner — who consistently used photography as a personal and professional tool. An analysis of his life shows how his visual output intersects with colonial administration, publishing and cultural production, while archival traces beyond images reveal a complex, troubled biography that raises questions about power, memory and historical representation. His work is significant for historians of photography, colonialism and cultural history because it documents and shapes narratives of empire even as it reflects the ambivalences of its creator.
This analytical piece examines Maria Amália Vaz de Carvalho as a pioneering educator of women whose public achievements were shadowed by private difficulties: her father’s harsh criticism of her poetry and her husband’s betrayal. Drawing on the narratives of Margarida Vila-Nova, Maria João Lopo de Carvalho and Alexandre Borges, the article reassesses how a woman operating within a patriarchal literary culture came to be framed as 'a man of genius', and what that framing reveals about gender, authority and literary history.
In a book now published in Portugal, historian Christian-Georges Schwentzel shows that there is much more to the history of the Queen of Egypt than romances with powerful men. We spoke with the author.
During the massacre at the Santa Cruz Cemetery in Dili, the image of people kneeling in prayer that remains forever etched in our memory is, to a large extent, owed to him.
Vicente Alves do Ó adapts the big-screen biography of Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso into a television format. The miniseries “Amadeo” chronicles the journey of the modernist figure with a cast that includes the late Eunice Muñoz and Rogério Samora.
Wherever I travel, Portugal always seems to follow me. It happened again, this time in Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France. There are three protagonists in this story: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whose paintings and posters immortalised the Parisian cabaret Moulin Rouge; the legendary dancer Jane Avril; and her biographer, the British correspondent José Shercliff, who lived more than half her life in Lisbon before dying in Cascais in 1985 at the age of 83. A temporary exhibition at the Caumont Museum presents Toulouse-Lautrec's iconic posters, reflecting his passion for the Moulin Rouge and its dancers. Among them all, Jane Avril held a special fascination for the artist. Born Jeanne Beaudon into poverty, Avril became the lead dancer at the Moulin Rouge. Her unique style distinguished her from the famous can-can performers. The museum chose the poster 'Jane Avril aux Serpents' to advertise the exhibition. The work depicts the dancer in a black dress adorned with a snake motif, her body contorted like a serpent. Like Toulouse-Lautrec, Shercliff, then Paris correspondent for the British newspaper Daily Herald, was fascinated by the artist after interviewing her. In 1952, she published the biography 'Jane Avril of the Moulin Rouge', illustrated with drawings by Lautrec. Shercliff would also become part of Lisbon's history during the Salazar regime. She worked for The Times of London, the BBC, and the Associated Press, and her home became a meeting point for figures such as Mário Soares and Paula Rego. Born Josephine, she signed her articles as 'José', perhaps believing a masculine name made life easier as a foreign correspondent. She was witty and had a technique that would make Mata Hari spin in her grave. A former colleague recalled her 'pin method'. Whenever she learned that a Portuguese soldier had been wounded or killed in Angola, Mozambique, or Guinea, she would stick a pin in the map corresponding to the location. Over time, this map allowed her to produce extraordinarily accurate casualty estimates, which the Associated Press published, much to the frustration of the Portuguese military leadership. For years, rumours circulated that José was a British agent. She was even detained in Barcelona on suspicion of espionage during the Spanish Civil War. She arrived in Lisbon in 1940 intending to catch a ship to New York to continue her career at the Daily Herald. Instead, she remained in a city teeming with Allied and Axis spies. The young woman, who moved from the elegant salons of the Moulin Rouge to the shadowy corridors of government offices, remained an enigmatic figure, revealing very little about herself, despite having written Jane Avril's biography. Perhaps we will learn more when the book about her life, authored by Wilton Fonseca and Gonçalo Pereira Rosa, is published in the autumn.
Marilyn Monroe was born on 1 June 1926. Her centenary is being celebrated with film cycles and exhibitions of iconic photographs, including those by Sam Shaw (1912-1999). Shaw, who captured the legendary image of Monroe in 'The Seven Years Itch', was more than a photographer; he was a close friend who documented her life with sensitivity. The book 'Dear Marilyn – The Unseen Letters and Photographs' offers an intimate look at their relationship through previously unpublished correspondence and images, curated by Shaw's granddaughter, Melissa Stevens. The collection provides a unique biographical perspective, bridging her private life and her public career during Hollywood's golden age.
The jury praised the “exciting narrative” about the life of the most prominent urban planner in recent Lisbon history, who designed the capital's main avenues and changed the city's urban landscape.
Whether with more faith or more disbelief, it is difficult not to admire a man's deep devotion and his desire for knowledge as a will for self-affirmation. The biography written by Alessandro Barbero recalls him.
The work “Angels don't have wings”, published 14 years ago, has now been released as an audiobook. It contains reflections, experiences, and life moments of actor Ruy de Carvalho, who celebrated his 99th birthday in March.
Microhistory was the great undertaking of this giant figure of historical research, who utilised tools from the humanities and literary studies. He was 87 years old.
The Italian writer was abandoned as a baby by her mother, who later threw herself into the river. She never wanted to know what happened, but an unexpected contact made her delve into the tragic story of Lucia Galante.
Recalling the period he lived in exile in London before the 25th of April, Tozé Brito reveals, on Posto Emissor, a moment that left a mark on him. “I never felt depressed, but that day I was in a state of total discouragement regarding life”
All that was missing was a drawing of the adventure that is the life of the director of E.T., and Amazing Ameziane has made several. Spielberg awakens the child (of the 80s) within us.
A personal reflection on the life and legacy of philosopher Edgar Morin, highlighting his deep connection to Portugal, his humanistic spirit, his role in the French Resistance, and his enduring intellectual impact.
Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926. Between triumph and tragedy, fame and loneliness, her films became a legacy, and for decades we have been trying to discover her through books. Here are seven suggestions.
From Proença-a-Nova to Angola, at 16 years old, alone on a passenger ship, and returning in 1975 with nothing. What was the life and career of António Ribeiro Cristóvão, the iconic Portuguese radio narrator, like?
From Asia to Africa, António Costa e Silva has dedicated his travels to the search for artistic and heritage testimonies of ancient civilisations - the ancient world fascinates him!
Born in Angola and raised on the South Bank, in Almada, by Cape Verdean parents, Carlão, the voice of the iconic band Da Weasel, joins Tony Gonçalves for a frank and nostalgic conversation about his 50 years, his legacy, and growing up being “too white or too black”.
In an era when boxing was a spectacle and also the 'sport of the poor', a boy from Musgueira and Ajuda, in Lisbon, stood out. The life of champion Orlando Jesus is now in cinemas.
With a unique style, and like no one else could, he translated the transition from dictatorship to democracy into drawing. He was a multidisciplinary artist with a career spanning over five decades. He died at the age of 98.
One of the voices synonymous with radio in Portugal. Beyond the voice, the format. Cândido Mota was a pioneer of open-line radio programmes. He died at 82, leaving a legacy in communication in Portugal.
From Ajuda to Parque Mayer, from titles to ruin in casinos, from the shots he took at night to the glory days in the ring. The struggle is portrayed in “Punch by Punch”, a documentary by Diogo Varela Silva.
Following his book on the life of Juan Carlos, José de Bouza Serrano gathers memories as genuine as they are indiscreet from his diplomatic career, ranging from the baroness murdered at the Tivoli to a “restless President” Marcelo.
António Ferro was an essayist and novelist. As a journalist, he interviewed Hitler and Mussolini, and reported from Hollywood, proving his cinephile streak. In 1933, Salazar entrusted him with promoting the image of the State. Once a cursed figure, he is now the subject of master's and doctoral theses. The fourth of six episodes of the narrative podcast 'António Ferro: genius or propagandist?' is now available. It is dedicated to the relationship between the journalist and Salazar. The text and interviews are by Leonídio Paulo Ferreira, with narration and sound design by Nuno Braga.
Those who bought records at Torpedo did not know. Behind the counter was a punk vocalist who had participated in one of the biggest heists in French history. Gilles Bertin told everything in 'Thirty Years on the Run'.
When Renato Seabra was born, Carlos Castro was already an unavoidable figure in Portuguese society. He was 44 years old and had a traumatic past. They met thanks to Renato's dream: to be a model.
