Gragoatá (Jul 2005)
The bard of Freitas or "Camões certainly will not mind"
Abstract
Among the poets who appeared in Portugal from the late 90's on, Manuel de Freitas is sure to have one of the most significant poetics. Nevertheless, he belongs to a panorama: there is a new diction in Portuguese poetry, which may be placed under the title of the anthology that gathers some of the most representative voices of this generation, untalented poets, a compilation organized and prefaced by Freitas. Such diction, which privileges the approach of various facets of the real instead of a work that excessively autonomizes the language, does not avoid attacking a certain Portuguese poetic tradition, mostly that of the 20th century post-Fernando Pessoa. However, it brings together, with great attention and some reverence, several renowned names, mainly Camões. And Manuel de Freitas will undoubtedly be the untalented poet that will dialogue with this bard the most, not only carrying out a constant exercise of intertextuality, but also mentioning Camões a number of times and truly lauding the author of Os Lusíadas, always through a disciple-like bias.
