Portugal
147
Lourenço, Ana Filipe (ed./adapt.)
Modesto, António (illus.)
Histórias tradicionais portuguesas (Traditional Portuguese stories)
Porto : Ambar, 2000. – 55pp
ISBN 972-43-0393-4
Portugal - Fairy tale - Fables - Anthology
This anthology presents eleven fairy tales and fables by famous Portuguese storytellers,
among them animal fables in the classic style (e.g. »The fox and the wolf«) or grotesque
fairy tales like »O chourico« (»The sausage«), in which a hot chilli pepper sausage
grows unto a nose. The book – printed on high-quality paper and in landscape format
– is well designed and makes a generous impression, because there is plenty of ample
space for the text and illustrations to unfold. The colourful illustrations are
characterised by soft, flowing lines and bleeding shapes, animating the pictures with
movement and lightness. (5+)
148
Saldanha, Ana
Para o meio da rua (To the middle of the road)
Lisboa : Caminho, 2000. – 157pp
(Livros do dia e da noite)
ISBN 972-21-1338-0
Childhood - Memory
Somewhere in his or her childhood every human has a »cave, maybe in the basement, or in
the garden, or in the back of one's mind just before falling asleep«. Ana Saldanha
explores this cave, these images, events and feelings and weaves them together with other
people's memories to create rich textures of poetic prose. This fine, timeless narrative
about a child's everyday experiences and emotions is characterised by a sometimes wistful
yet never sentimental tone. The story of the two girls Isabel and Joana has an exemplary
status, and – as the author assures – all similarities with other childhoods are
an »intended coincidence«. (12+)
149
Soares, Maria Isabel de Mendonça (ed.)
Leitão, Pedro (illus.)
O mar na cultura popular portuguesa (The sea in Portuguese popular culture)
Lisboa : Terramar, 1998. – 88pp
ISBN 972-710-201-8
Portugal/Folk literature - Sea
Because of its geographic location on the margins of Europe, Portugal has always been
strongly oriented towards the sea. Known as the country of seafarers, explorers,
conquerors and fishermen for centuries, this historical legacy is alive in people's
conscience and everday life, in Portuguese culture, economy or the cuisine up to the
present day. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the sea plays an important role in
literature, both of oral and written tradition. This inspiring book, accompanied by many
colour-illustrations, unites many of those texts: rhymes, riddles, sayings, folksongs,
fairy tales and sagas give an impression of the diversity of the sea. (4+)