What if we lived in a country where reading was an act of rebellion? In reality, we already do. Before the 25th of April. It was with this premise that FNAC challenged a group of prominent personalities from the cultural sphere to form an editorial board and to indicate a selection of relevant books from the present day that, 50 years ago, would certainly have been banned. The initiative aims to celebrate World Book Day and the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April, and also seeks to stimulate debate on the value of freedom of thought, writing, and expression. The editorial board is composed of the writer and journalist João Céu e Silva, the writer Richard Zimler, the editor and writer Rui Couceiro, the former journalist Teresa Nicolau, the writer Valter Hugo Mãe, and the editor Zeferino Coelho, all of them literary figures, recognized for their commitment to culture and freedom of expression. The list of books includes over 35 titles that include authors such as António Lobo Antunes, Dulce Maria Cardoso, José Saramago, Miguel Esteves Cardoso, Mia Couto, Frederico Lourenço, Margaret Atwood, Maria Filomena Mónica, Maria Teresa Horta, among many others, whose works would not have reached the hands of readers 50 years ago.

Here are the chosen books:

João Céu e Silva

Levantado do Chão, José Saramago

Describing the Alentejo of the marginalized, the poor, and the landless would have been impossible before the 25th of April. Saramago does so after "exiling" himself in Lavre and confronting himself in the post-Revolution with a reality that was as close as it was distant from the capital that wields power and then brings it to readers, making himself discovered as a writer through this work that is so original and in which he even rediscovers a new language, the one that will set him apart from the other writers who are his contemporaries.

A Costa dos Murmúrios, Lídia Jorge

A novel about the Colonial War seen through the eyes of someone who went through the Overseas and made an incorrect reading of the events and who only later would have the right to a review of that perspective. It is like the unveiling of the "sessions" of a trial that was never held by the Portuguese in relation to a conflict that overthrew the regime after 13 years of fighting.

Os Cus de Judas, António Lobo Antunes

The catharsis of the writer who, through the characters, comes to unveil the dramas, the illusions, and the disillusionments that the soldiers forced to fight in Africa experienced, with the benefit of being carried out through a speech that is a powerful torrent throughout the entire book, and that tries to initiate a debate that allows for answering questions about the identity of a country and of the Portuguese.

Bilhete de Identidade, Maria Filomena Mónica

Any autobiographical attempt like the one carried out by the author would have been impossible and forbidden before the Revolution. Allowing a woman to reveal her revolt against the female condition has always been hindered and prevented from coming to light. With the particularity of making an excellent portrait of bourgeois families, of the hypocrisy of men, and of the emptiness of a regime.

The trilogy on Gungunhana, Mia Couto

The Sands of the Emperor - Book 1: Mulheres de Cinza

The Sands of the Emperor - Book 2: A Espada e a Azagaia

The Sands of the Emperor - Book 3: O Bebedor de Horizonte

The story of a hero for some and of a prisoner who is an exemplary example of how to stifle a rebellion for others has never had two versions like the one that the writer came up with when he wrote these three volumes. To which he adds a reflection made with African colors and the fables and language that are typical of his register, allowing for the revision of the destiny of a protagonist.

Richard Zimler

Portugueses na Lista Negra de Hitler, Miriam Assor

I have already heard from many people in Portugal (even history teachers!) that there were no Portuguese in the Nazi extermination camps. I always knew that that was not true – I even knew the names of several prisoners. But I lacked a book with adequate documentation. Miriam Assor fills this gap with an admirably detailed book that tells us the story of the Portuguese prisoners who entered the list of the millions of victims of the Holocaust. I presented the book at the synagogue in Porto in 2023.

As Cartas da Prisão de Nelson Mandela, Edited by Sahm Venter

In this book, we find the sorrows and the joys, the doubts and the certainties of a courageous, kind, and deeply dedicated man to reconciliation. It was an exciting read for me. Here is a brief excerpt from a letter that Mandela wrote to his friend Joy Matsieloa: "There were many times when these [complicated] thoughts assailed my spirit. The death of your brother, Gabula, was one such painful moment. The news left me virtually paralyzed; I was unable to write… In the condition in which I found myself, I could only retreat to the privacy of my cell.”

Suicídio: Modo de Usar,Claude Guillon and Yves Le Bonniec

I was doing an internship in Paris in 1982, at the media agency United Press International, when this book came out. It immediately caused a sensation, especially in Catholic circles and in conservative newspapers. Although it is in no way an incitement to suicide, it includes recipes made up of products that are easily purchased that help people affected by terminal illnesses or other unbearable situations to end their lives, in an effective manner and without unnecessary suffering.

Os Cinco Pilares da PIDE, Irene Flunser Pimentel

When I moved to Portugal in 1990, I discovered that few people spoke openly about the role of the secret police in the Estado Novo. I even discovered people who denied that the PIDE used forms of torture. I found that revealing of the reluctance of politicians and academics to honestly confront the past. The historian and professor Irene Pimentel has been rectifying this situation with the publication of several important books on the dictatorship, including this one, which is a biography of five important members of the PIDE.

Primeiro Cresci no Coração, Filipe de Bruxelas with illustration by Pedro Rosa

A very touching children's book, in which Lilás, 5 years old, lives with two fathers. She says: "My Swedish father is called vanilla father and my Portuguese father is called honey father. I was the one who chose the names. They are mine." I was a member of a jury that chose the book for the Best Children's Book Award given by the ILGA Portugal Association in 2013. I loved it.

Rita Lee – Uma autobiografia, Rita Lee

The reader finds a lot of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll in this wonderful autobiography by the Brazilian singer. The author uses the Portuguese language in an admirably creative way. I particularly loved the stories about her eccentric family. It made me laugh very often.

O Último Cabalista de Lisboa, Richard Zimler

In 1989, when I discovered the Lisbon Massacre of 1506, in which 2000 new Christians were killed and burned in the Rossio, I asked my Portuguese friends: "What do you know about this crime against humanity?" They all answered: "What crime? There was no massacre!" I discovered that the anti-Semitic uprising led by Dominican priests had been eliminated from the official histories of Portugal and from two school textbooks. Even today, some people with political and economic power prefer to deny or whitewash the existence of the massacre. For example, when the journalist from the television program Visita Guiada, Paula Moura Pinheiro, wanted to interview me in the church of S. Domingos, where the massacre began, the Patriarchate of Lisbon refused to