“The collection is particularly notable for its manuscripts that document Fernando Assis Pacheco’s (1937-1995) work as a journalist and writer,” a BNP source told Lusa.
The archive comprises manuscripts (notebooks, typographic proofs with censorship cuts, poems, preparatory materials for works), varied correspondence, biographical documents, press clippings, and files organized by published work, the source explained.
The correspondence includes letters sent by the author to his parents from Angola, where he was on a military mission, and a set of letters addressed to his daughter Ana.
The collection delivered also contains genealogical notes, documentation from the Queima das Fitas in Coimbra, and papers sent by the author’s mother during his military service in Alentejo.
The archive also includes “some printed materials, such as the magazine K (1992) and the book ‘Made in Lisbon’, as well as a collection of childhood drawings by his children, annotated by the author.”
The donation agreement was signed by the heirs last Wednesday, notes the BNP.
“On November 26, 2025, his wife and six children signed the donation agreement of the archive, which became part of the National Library of Portugal’s collection. This symbolic gesture, precisely 30 years after his death, reinforces the importance of the writer and journalist in the history of Portuguese literature and journalism,” reads the BNP’s statement shared on social media.
The BNP emphasizes that the archive’s donation to its care “ensures the preservation and appreciation of the documents and works that constitute Fernando Assis Pacheco’s legacy, allowing future generations to continue studying and recognizing the value of his literary and journalistic production.”
Fernando Assis Pacheco made his literary debut in 1963 with the poetry book “Cuidar dos Vivos.” He graduated in Romance philology from the University of Coimbra, the city where he was born and lived until 1961 when he began compulsory military service that took him to Angola.
He was an editor for the magazine Vértice, which allowed him to associate with other writers, notably Joaquim Namorado (1914-1986) and Manuel Alegre, as well as journalist José Carlos Vasconcelos, one of the founders of the now-defunct weekly O Jornal.
As a journalist, he was part of the editorial teams of the newspapers Diário de Lisboa, A República, Jornal de Letras Artes & Ideias, Musicalíssimo, Se7e, and O Jornal, where he served as chief editor.
Among his published titles are, among others, “Câu Kiên: Um Resumo” (1972), a book of poetry republished in 1976 as “Catalabanza, Quilolo e Volta,” the novella “Walt” (1978), “Memórias do Contencioso e Outros Poemas” (1989), and the novel “Trabalhos e Paixões de Benito Prada” (1993).
After his death, the books “Retratos Falados” (2001), a collection of interviews, the poetry book “Respiração Assistida” (2003), the collection of chronicles “Memórias de um Craque” (2005), the first volume of his complete works “Bronco Angel, o Cow-boy Analfabeto” (2015), and “Tenho Cinco Minutos Para Contar Uma História póstumo” (2017) were published.
