EÇA · ANATOMY  OF A CHARACTER

Eça · Anatomia de um Carácter

[ for childhood and youth ]

​

Eça de Queirós left us a work that represents a critical look at ourselves. I often say that this critical look, contrary to what some detractors claim, is neither free nor negative. Eça had the ambition for Portugal and the Portuguese to make us participate in European civilization: not only on the material stage, but also in the intellectual and moral realms. Its irony rests on a desire for regeneration of change, for improvement. He sharply denounced everything that made it difficult for us to march towards this goal: atavisms, inertia, mediocrities, routines and conformisms. It is a link that keeps up to date.

 

Jorge Sampaio