Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (1919-2004) was brought up in a wealthy Catholic family and remained true to her faith until her death, although she was also always fiercely critical of the repressive right-wing Salazar regime. Introduced by her nanny to the joys of poetry and story-telling, Sophia published several collections of poems, two volumes of short stories and nine children’s stories, which she wrote originally for her own children. She became Portugal’s most acclaimed poet and was the first woman to be awarded Portugal’s highest literary honour, the Prémio Camões.

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