The Carnation Revolution, which took place on 25 April 1974, was crucial for Portugal’s liberation and for securing women’s place in various spheres of social, political and cultural life. In literature and the visual arts, the manifestations and representations of women’s selfhood, however scarce, which appeared during the long years of the dictatorship, were highly significant in paving the way for the movement which would flourish with the arrival of democracy — a revolutionary process, still unfolding now, that is unprecedented in Portuguese history and involves reclaiming and victoriously achieving a feminine identity that is strong and not subaltern.
First Person: Women Writers and Artists in Revolution is an anthology of poetry and visual artworks that seeks to shed light on the path taken by women, in literature and art, on their journey towards emancipation and self-affirmation. This collection gathers a series of works by eight Portuguese authors from different generations, who came both before and after the 25th April — including Natália Correia, Fernanda Botelho, Paula Rego, Júlia Ventura, Ana Pérez-Quiroga, Susana Mendes Silva, Margarida Vale de Gato e Tatiana Faia. Their works intermingle as part of a critical dialogue, which is critically informed by a thematic glossary, between historical female figures from Portuguese literature and art, on the one hand, and the youngest generations of women authors, on the other.