Witness History The ‘Three Marias’
Dec 4, 2024
Maria Teresa Horta, a pioneering Portuguese feminist poet and activist, discusses her role in the 'Three Marias' who challenged oppression in 1970s Portugal. She delves into the controversy surrounding their groundbreaking book ‘Novas Cartas Portuguesas’, which sparked protests and censorship. Horta shares her personal struggles against the Estado Novo regime, highlighting how poetry became a powerful tool for defiance. The conversation also touches on the impact of the Carnation Revolution and the birth of the women’s liberation movement in Portugal.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Book Banning and Threats
- Maria Teresa Horta's book, My Lady of Myself, was banned, and her publisher received threats from the secret police.
- The police warned that any future publications by Horta, even fairy tales, would result in the publishing house's closure.
Physical Assault
- Maria Teresa Horta was physically assaulted by two men who warned her against her writing.
- They told her the beating was a lesson for her to change her writing style.
New Portuguese Letters and Censorship
- Maria Teresa Horta, along with Maria Velho da Costa and Maria Isabel Barreno, co-authored New Portuguese Letters.
- The book, inspired by Letters of a Portuguese Nun, explored women's oppression and was subsequently banned for its supposedly pornographic content.