This slender volume of short fiction, drama, and poetry is a testament to the emergence of Portuguese Canadian literature, with more of their words and stories being brought to the attention of readers all over the world. With a foreword by noted academic and author Onésimo T. Almeida, Memória features fifteen writers whose work illustrates a wide range of experiences, narrative voices and sensibilities.

Contributors include Clemente Alves, Edith Baguinho, Nelia Botelho, Esmeralda Cabral, Tony Correia, paulo da costa, Humberto da Silva, Aida Jordão, Irene Marques, Antonio M. Marques, Emanuel Melo, Eduardo Bettencourt Pinto, Paul Serralheiro, Richard Simas and Laureano Soares. Collected and edited by Fernanda Viveiros with editorial support by Maria João Dodman and Hugh Hazelton.

Fernanda Viveiros' profile page

Onésimo T. Almeida's profile page

Born in Angola and raised in Portugal, paulo da costa is a writer, editor and translator living in Victoria, BC. His first book of fiction, The Scent of a Lie, received the 2003 Commonwealth First Book Prize for the Canada-Caribbean Region and the W.O. Mitchell City of Calgary Book Prize. His poetry and fiction have been published in literary magazines around the world and have been translated to Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, Serbian, Slovenian and Portuguese. His latest book of fiction, The Green and Purple Skin of the World, was released by Broadview Press / Freehand Books in 2013.

paulo da costa's profile page

Clemente Alves' profile page

Edith Baguinho's profile page

Esmeralda Cabral is a creative nonfiction writer. She was born in the Azores (Portugal), grew up in Alberta, and now lives in Vancouver.

Esmeralda Cabral's profile page

Nelia Bothelho's profile page

TONY CORREIA lives in Vancouver, B.C. He has worked as a waiter, bartender, bouncer, barista, receptionist, and recently, a technical writer for a software company. His newspaper column, Queen's Logic, ran in Xtra! West for five years. He is the author of the Lorimer Real Love novel Same Love. His memoir Foodsluts at Doll & Penny's Cafe was published in 2012. Follow Tony on Twitter and Instagram @garpinbc or on his blog, www.everythingtonycorreia.com.

Tony Correia's profile page

Humberto da Silva's profile page

Aida Jordão's profile page

Irene Marques is a bilingual writer (English and Portuguese) and Lecturer at Ryerson University in the English Department, where she teaches literature and creative writing. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature, a Masters in French Literature and Comparative Literature and a BA (Hon.) in French Language and Literature all from the University of Toronto?and a Bachelor of Social Work from Ryerson University. Her literary publications include the poetry collections Wearing Glasses of Water (2007), The Perfect Unravelling of the Spirit (2012), and The Circular Incantation: An Exercise in Loss and Findings (2013); the Portuguese language short-story collection Habitando na Metáfora do Tempo: Crónicas Desejadas (2009) and the novel My House is a Mansion (2015). Her academic publications include, among others, the manuscript Transnational Discourses on Class, Gender and Cultural Identity, and numerous articles in international journals or scholarly collectives, including African Identities: Journal of Economics, Culture and Society; Research in African Literatures; A Companion to Mia Couto; Letras & Letras; InterDISCIPLINARY: Journal of Portuguese Diaspora Studies; African Studies; and Portuguese Studies Review. Her Portuguese-language novel, Uma Casa no Mundo, won the 2019 Imprensa Nacional/Ferreira de Castro Prize and is now published by Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda. She lives in Toronto. www.irenemarques.net

Irene Marques' profile page

Antonio M. Marques' profile page

Emanuel Melo's profile page

Eduardo Bettencourt Pinto was born in Gabela, South of Angola. He left his country in 1975 due to the civil war, and he lived in Zimbabwe and the Azores islands before moving to Canada in 1983. He is the author of several fiction and poetry books in Portuguese and his poetry has been included in various anthologies in Portugal, England, United States and Brazil. Eduardo is the editor of the Seixo Review, an Arts and Literary magazine published online, and he is also working on a new novel. Casa das rugas (House of Wrinkles), his latest novel, is about the last days of colonialism in Angola.

Eduardo Bettencourt Pinto's profile page

Paul Serralheiro's profile page

Richard Simas is a free-lance writer with a background in literature, music, and the performing arts. His publications appear in contemporary art and literary reviews in Europe and in North America with awards the Journey Prize anthology, the Fiddlehead Review Fiction competition, and a Camões Institute prize to attend the Disquiet International Literary program in Lisbon. His work includes essays about exploring Portuguese immigrant heritage and the notion of (re)learning Portuguese from a diaspora perspective.

In Montreal, Simas founded Théâtre La Chapelle, an interdisciplinary performing venue dedicated to multidisciplinary experimentation. He currently performs with Valody, a nine-member street band.

The Mystery of the Portuguese Waltzesgrows out of his research into these beautiful traditional tunes. It is his first book for young readers.

Richard Simas' profile page

Laureano Soares' profile page

“This first anthology of Portuguese Canadian writers serves as a superb introduction which cogently illustrates the emerging presence of Portuguese literary voices within the Canadian landscape. Embedded in its cultural meaning system, it provides a background upon which the scope of the texts can be located. In fact, the poetic and narrative texts, central to the fabric woven throughout this volume, involve not only the exploration of narrative memory and identity, but also paint a vibrant picture of the Portuguese diasporic world in which these writers live.” ~Professor Irene Maria F. Blayer

“This ground-breaking collection of literary work by Portuguese Canadians is a joy to read. Fernanda Viveiros and her editorial team have done a wonderful job of selecting and editing a wide range of talented writers and their works. Each author shares his or her thoughts, feelings and memories in touching and affecting styles which include poetry, short stories, memoir and drama. Many of the pieces have a clear Portuguese identity, while others less so. We can relate to much of the sentiment, whatever our background, and we can enjoy the quirks and curiosities of the Portuguese cultures found in Canada and back in the motherland.” ~Lise Watson, Toronto World Arts Scene

“This anthology is the first of its kind, and, for the moment at least, unique, though its uniqueness, I predict (and hope), will not last long. Editorially, it is also a canny book, for it offers glimpses and tastes of excellent writing, with no risk of surfeit. There is just enough here to make one wish for more. The book meriting these observations is Memória, conceived and ably edited by Fernanda Viveiros, with an informative foreword by Onésimo T. Almeida on the characteristics of Portuguese communities throughout North America. The book bears a descriptive subtitle: “An Anthology of Portuguese Canadian Writers.” Notice that the subtitle omits what many may consider to be an obligatory hyphen between “Portuguese” and “Canadian,” for this omission, seemingly slight, makes a large point. What it says is that Memória is a collection of Canadian writing by Canadian writers who happen to be of Portuguese ethnicity and descent. From first page to last Memória is a source of pleasure, offering keys into what has been a largely undiscerned body of literature.” ~ Professor Emeritus George Monteiro