The International Congress “Camilo Two Centuries Later,” organized by the Sintra City Council in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon (FLUL), is set to take place at the Olga Cadaval Cultural Center in Sintra.
The event is entirely dedicated to the life and work of Camilo Castelo Branco, referred to as “the first professional Portuguese writer and one of the most remarkable figures in romantic literature,” as emphasized by the organizers. They aim to maintain a “continuous appreciation of Sintra’s Camiliana” beyond merely marking a symbolic date.
Over three days, the municipality will become a venue for “meeting, reflection, and discovery concerning the Camillian legacy,” bringing together experts from around the globe.
Among the international participants are academics from the University of California (USA), the University of São Paulo and the State University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), the University of Padua (Italy), and the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain).
The universities of Minho, Porto, Lisbon, the Catholic University of Portugal, the New University of Lisbon, the University of Évora, and the Camilo House-Museum/Camilo Studies Center will also be represented at the congress.
The thematic areas to be explored span tradition, “revolution,” and the future, reflecting the plurality and depth of Camilo Castelo Branco’s work, acknowledged as an internationally recognized novelist and a unique thinker, the organizers add.
In his own words, Camilo was the creator of a “philosophy” expressed across multiple platforms, with fiction being the main one.
The congress’s central aim is “to preserve and revitalize the dialogue between the author and his readers, counteracting the notion that great writers are doomed to unreadability,” essentially keeping Camilo relevant with new readings and interpretations that free him from the image of a “figure of the past.”
In parallel, an exhibition will be inaugurated at the Sintra Municipal Library, showcasing facsimiles of rare and emblematic pieces from the Camillian universe. This exhibition is supported by the National Library of Portugal (BNP), the Porto Municipal Public Library, and the Seide House-Museum.
The congress “Camilo Two Centuries Later” is part of the Camilo Castelo Branco Chair (CCCB) Activities Plan, an initiative funded by the Sintra City Council and developed in partnership with the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon, and the classification of Sintra’s Camiliana collection as a Cultural Asset of Public Interest, a unique distinction in Portugal awarded to a municipality and a public library.
