Famous Portuguese Novelists

Fernando Pessoa was a Portuguese poet, writer, translator, and publisher. A prolific writer, he is considered one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. While he mostly wrote in the Portuguese language, he also wrote in English and French occasionally. Besides writing under his own name, he also wrote under approximately 75 other names.

José Saramago was a Portuguese writer who was honored with the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature. Saramago's books have sold more than two million copies in Portugal alone and have been translated into 25 languages. Among other awards, Saramago has also been honored with the Camões Prize and America Award. He is also credited with establishing the José Saramago Foundation.

José Maria de Eça de Queirós was a Portuguese writer and novelist. Widely regarded as the greatest exponent of literary realism in the Portuguese language, Eça's works have been translated into many languages, including English. Many of his works have also been adapted into films, TV series, and theatrical plays.

António Lobo Antunes is a Portuguese novelist whose works have been translated into over 30 labguages. Some of his best-known books include Fado Alexandrino and O Manual dos Inquisidores. António Lobo Antunes is a recipient of several prestigious awards like the Austrian State Prize, Ovid Prize, Camões Prize, and Juan Rulfo Prize. He also contributes as a columnist for Visão.

José Rodrigues dos Santos is a Portuguese novelist, journalist, and university lecturer. He is best known as one of the presenters of the flagship television newscast of RTP, Telejornal. Since the 2000s, José Rodrigues dos Santos has been one of the best-selling authors in Portugal, having sold several historical fiction and thriller novels.

Almeida Garrett was a Portuguese poet, playwright, novelist, orator, journalist, and politician. He is widely regarded as the most important figure of Portuguese Romanticism. Garrett was also a humanist and great revolutionary. A peer of the realm, Almeida Garrett proposed the creation of the Conservatory of Dramatic Art and the construction of the Queen Maria II National Theatre.

Camilo Castelo Branco was a Portuguese writer who wrote more than 260 books, which include novels, plays, and essays, during an illustrious writing career that spanned more than three decades. Best remembered for his peculiar wit, Camilo Castelo Branco was made a viscount for his contributions to literature in 1885. Some of his works have been adapted into films.

Alexandre Herculano was a Portuguese historian and novelist. He is often credited with introducing Romantic literature to Portugal. An important historian, Alexandre Herculano enjoyed national recognition similar to that of France's Victor Hugo.

Mário de Sá-Carneiro was one of the major figures of the Geração D'Orpheu, the Portuguese literary movement that brought in Modernism in Portuguese literature, and also launched the revue Orpheu. He later faced a financial crisis, began leading a bohemian life, and eventually committed suicide.

Born to poor parents in Portugal, José Luandino Vieira later moved to Angola with his parents. His works showcased the mixture of Kimbundu and Portuguese, which gave rise to a peculiar language of the musseque, or people of the African quarters. His stories reflected the injustice of the Portuguese occupation of Angola.

Ramalho Ortigão was a Portuguese writer best remembered for his contributions to several literary magazines. He is also credited with creating a monthly publication called As Farpas, which was considered a launching pad for critical journalism in Portugal. Ramalho Ortigão also worked as a translator and is renowned for translating Edward Jenkins' Ginx's Baby into Portuguese.

Portuguese author Jorge de Montemor is best known for his Spanish-language pastoral romance The Seven Books of the Diana. Though he studied music in his early days, he later also served in the army. He was apparently killed in a love feud in the Piedmont.

Vergílio Ferreira was a Portuguese writer, professor, and essayist. Thanks to his prolific literary output, Ferreira is often considered a prominent figure in Portuguese-language literature. Vergílio Ferreira was honored with the prestigious Camões Prize in 1992. An annual literary prize, which is given by the Municipality of Gouveia, is named after him.

Aquilino Ribeiro was a Portuguese diplomat and writer. He is best remembered for his 1958 novel Quando os lobos uivam, which was translated into English by Patricia McGowan Pinheiro in 1963. Regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest Portuguese novelists, Aquilino Ribeiro received a Nobel Literature Prize nomination in 1960. 

José Cardoso Pires was a Portuguese author who wrote novels, short stories, political satire, and plays. Many of his works, including his best-known novel O Delfim, were adapted into films. One of the most influential and important Portuguese writers of his generation, José Cardoso Pires was honored with several awards including the Latin Union Prize for Literature and Prémio Pessoa.

Fernando Namora was a Portuguese physician and writer. A prolific writer, Namora's works were publicized and translated widely during the 1970s and 1980s. Over the course of his illustrious literary career, Fernando Namora was honored with several prestigious awards such as the Ricardo Malheiros Award and D. Dinis Award. Many of his works have been adapted into successful films.  

Ferreira de Castro was a Portuguese journalist and writer whose works earned him multiple nominations for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary Portuguese neorealist fiction. Ferreira de Castro is best remembered for his 1930 novel A Selva, which earned him international recognition and introduced him to Hollywood.

Júlio Dinis was a Portuguese poet, novelist, playwright, and physician. He is best remembered for his novels, which are still widely read in Portugal. Many of his works, such as As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor, have been adapted into successful films and TV series.