Camões Prize

The Camões Prize (Portuguese, Prémio Camões, Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɾɛmju kaˈmõjʃ]), named after Luís de Camões, is the most important prize for literature in the Portuguese language. It is awarded annually by the Portuguese Direção-Geral do Livro, dos Arquivos e das Biblioteca[1] (National Book, Archive an Libraries Department) and the Brazilian Fundação Biblioteca Nacional[2] (National Library Foundation) to the author of an outstanding oeuvre of work written in Portuguese. The monetary award is of 100,000, making it among the richest literary prizes in the world.

Camões Prize
CountryLusophone countries
Presented byDireção-Geral do Livro, dos Arquivos e das Biblioteca (Portugal) and
Fundação Biblioteca Nacional (Brazil)
Reward(s)€100,000
First awarded1989

History

This award is considered the premier literary prize in the Portuguese-speaking world and is granted on the basis of the entirety of one's work.[3]

The Camões Prize is awarded annually, alternating between the two countries, and based on decision of a specially designated jury. The award consists of a cash amount resulting from the contributions from Brazil and Portugal, and is set annually by mutual agreement.

The Camões Prize was first introduced by the Additional Protocol to the Cultural Agreement between the Government of the Portuguese Republic and the Government of the Federal Republic of Brazil, dated September 7, 1966, which creates the Camões Prize, signed in Brasilia on June 22, 1988, and approved in Portugal by Decree No. 43/88 of November 30, 1988.[4]

This Protocol was replaced by a new one between the Portuguese Republic and the Federative Republic of Brazil, signed in Lisbon on April 17, 1999, approved by Portugal through Decree 47/99 in the official gazette of November 5, 1999.[5]

The Laureates

YearAuthorCountryGenre(s)Ref(s)
1989 Miguel Torga (1907–1995)  Portugalpoetry, short story, novel, drama, memoirs, essay
1990João Cabral de Melo Neto (1920–1999)  Brazilpoetry
1991José Craveirinha (1922–2003)  Mozambiquepoetry, journalism
1992Vergílio Ferreira (1916–1996)  Portugalnovel, short story, memoirs, essay
1993 Rachel de Queiroz (1910–2003)  Brazilnovel, short story, translation, journalism, drama, memoirs, children's literature[6]
1994 Jorge Amado (1912–2001)  Brazilnovel, short story, poetry, children's literature, biography, journalism
1995 José Saramago (1922–2010)  Portugalnovel, short story, drama, poetry, memoirs, journalism, children's literature
1996 Eduardo Lourenço (1923–2020)  Portugalphilosophy, literary criticism, essay
1997 "Pepetela"-Artur Carlos Maurício Pestana dos Santos (1941 – )  Angolanovel, drama
1998 António Cândido de Mello e Sousa (1918–2017)  Brazilliterary criticism, literary theory, essay, poetry
1999 Sophia de Mello Breyner (1919–2004)  Portugalpoetry, short story, drama, children's literature, translation, essay
2000Autran Dourado (1926–2012)  Brazilnovel, short story, essay, memoirs
2001 Eugénio de Andrade (1923–2005)  Portugalpoetry, children's literature, translation, short story
2002 Maria Velho da Costa (1938–2020)  Portugalnovel, short story, drama, essay, screenplay
2003Rubem Fonseca (1925–2020)  Brazilnovel, short story, screenplay
2004Agustina Bessa-Luís (1922–2019)  Portugalnovel, short story, drama, essay, children's literature, biography, memoirs
2005 Lygia Fagundes Telles (1918 – 2022)  Brazilnovel, short story
2006José Luandino Vieira (1935 – ) – refused  Portugal /  Angolanovel, short story, journalism, children's literature, translation[7]
2007 António Lobo Antunes (1942 – )  Portugalnovel, short story
2008 João Ubaldo Ribeiro (1941 – 2014)  Brazilnovel, short story, journalism, children's literature, essay
2009 Arménio Vieira (1941 – )  Cape Verdepoetry, journalism
2010 Ferreira Gullar (1930–2016)  Brazilpoetry, short story, essay, art criticism, biography[8]
2011Manuel António Pina (1943–2012)  Portugalpoetry, children's literature, drama, short story, journalism[9]
2012Dalton Trevisan (1925 – )  Brazilshort story, novel
2013 Mia Couto (1955 – )  Mozambiquenovel, short story, poetry[10]
2014Alberto da Costa e Silva (1931–2023)  Brazilhistory, poetry, memoirs, essay, biography[11]
2015Hélia Correia (1949 – )  Portugalnovel, children's literature, drama, poetry[12]
2016 Raduan Nassar (1935 – )  Brazilshort story, novel[13]
2017 Manuel Alegre (1936 – )  Portugalpoetry, novel[14]
2018 Germano Almeida (1945 – )  Cape Verdenovel[15]
2019 Chico Buarque (1944 – )  Brazilsongwriting, novel, drama[16]
2020Vítor Manuel de Aguiar e Silva [pt] (1939 –)  Portugalessay[17]
2021 Paulina Chiziane (1955 –)  Mozambiquenovel[18]
2022 Silviano Santiago (1936 –)  Brazilnovel, essay, literary criticism[19]
2023João Barrento [pt] (1940 –)  Portugaltranslation, essay[20]

Winners per country

References