The Escritaria festival, now in its 18th edition, “returns to celebrate Portuguese poetry, featuring an author who transitions from poetry to children’s literature, as well as music lyrics,” announced in a statement by the City Hall of Penafiel, the event’s promoter.
“Maria do Rosário Pedreira is a prominent poet, novelist, chronicler, translator, and Portuguese editor, recognized for the literary quality of her poetic work and her significant contribution to the publishing and promotion of literature in Portugal,” emphasized the municipality.
Born in Lisbon in 1959, Maria do Rosário Pedreira has shown a deep connection to the world of books from an early age, developing a multifaceted career that positions her among the most influential figures in contemporary Portuguese literary culture.
As a poet, she has authored a “delicate, intimate and reflective” body of work, marked by themes such as love, loss, time, and absence. Her poetry is often associated with a lyrical heritage that converses with names such as Sophia de Mello Breyner and Eugénio de Andrade, “yet with her unique tone of restraint and sensitivity.”
In the publishing field, Maria do Rosário Pedreira has edited authors like José Luís Peixoto, Valter Hugo Mãe, João Tordo, Luísa Sobral, Nuno Camarneiro, Paulo Moreiras, and Ana Cristina Silva.
Her sensitivity as a reader and editor has been praised by writers, critics, and industry professionals, making her one of the leading mediators between authors and readers in Portugal.
Maria do Rosário Pedreira is also the author of lyrics for fado songs performed by musicians such as Carlos do Carmo, Ana Moura, Aldina Duarte, and António Zambujo.
Among her works are titles like ‘O meu corpo humano’, ‘A casa e o cheiro dos livros’, ‘O canto do vento nos ciprestes’, ‘Nenhum nome depois’, and ‘Esse fado vaidoso’.
The Escritaria festival, celebrating its 18th year, once again takes over the city of Penafiel, in what the municipality describes as “a unique festivity in Portugal,” recalling that recently the festival’s internationalization project was awarded the ‘Norte+Criativo’ prize and the Public Prize in the inaugural edition of the Prémios Mais a Norte, organized by the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-Norte), which honors the most innovative and impactful initiatives in the region.
