198 years after his birth, Camilo Castelo Branco uses the word again to lead the readers through the landscapes of Northern Portugal, more particularly of Vila Nova de Famalicão.
Through "Characters by the Door: Unwrapped Biographies ", the reader embarks on a journey through the Famalicense territory, hitchhiking with the novelist of Seide and the seven fictionalised biographies of his authorship that compose the collection launched last Thursday, 16th March.
Those are "Beatriz de Marialva", "Maria Moisés", "O Cego de Landim", "A Morgada de Romariz", "O Africano", "O Epidauro de Gondifelos" and "O Comendador".
These publications are the result of "several experiences lived by the novelist" and, according to the scientific coordinator of Camilo's House, José Manuel de Oliveira, show how the writer was a master in transforming real life into fiction. "The use of these figures that came to his desk are a unique heritage in Portugal of a writer who dedicated himself to a territory where he spent about 26 years and who managed, with mastery, to transform life into art", he revealed.
The head of Casa de Camilo talks about a set of publications "that bring together the heritage, gastronomy and a whole series of details that turn these biographies into a real wealth and a unique product in terms of literary tourism".
"Camilo has never been as healthy and recommendable as he is now. I don't know any other writer in Portugal who has dedicated so many pages of his work to such a vast territory as the Portuguese north and then managed, in the same place where he lived, to tell a series of stories and give tourists the chance to visit the heritage and get in touch with that memory", he added.
The presentation of the most recent work of Camillian fiction took place at Quinta das Pirâmides, a rural tourism accommodation in the parish of Telhado inspired by the life and work of Camilo.
The meeting was attended by the town councillor for Culture, Pedro Oliveira, who spoke of the importance of continuing to value Camilo and recalled "the evident work" that the City Hall of Famalicão has done in that sense. The mayor also pointed out this new collection as "another excellent contribution to the promotion of literary tourism" around Camilo and the Famalicense County.
The novelist was born on March 16, 1825, in Lisbon. He lived in Seide, Vila Nova de Famalicão, for 26 years. He arrived here for love, wrote here, lived here with his family and ended his life here. Considered the most emblematic living memory of the greatest writer of Portuguese romanticism, Casa de São Miguel de Seide has gained a historical significance of fundamental importance for a deep understanding of all Camillian themes. This year marks the first centenary of its opening to the public.