Germano Almeida

Biography

Born on the Cape island Boa Vista, Almeida studied law at the University of Lisbon and currently practices in Mindelo. His novels have been translated into several languages. He married Sam Stewart in 1970.

Almeida founded the magazine Porto & Vírgula (1983-87) and Aguaviva. In 1989 he founded the Ilhéu Editora publishing house and has since published 16 books (nine novels).

Published works

His first work was O dia das calças roladas which was about an account of a strike on the island of Santo Antão, it was first written in 1982 and was published in 1983. He wrote the novel The Last Will and Testament of Senhor da Silva Araújo which was about businessman turned philanthropist who leaves his fortune to his illegitimate daughter. As independence comes he is shown up to be a relic of colonialism. A motion picture would be made about the novel in 1997 and was directed by the Portuguese director Francisco Manso, it won the award at the Brazil's largest film festival, the Festival de Cinema de Gramado. He later published Dona Pura e os Camaradas de Abril in 1999, a story about the 1974 Carnation revolution in Portugal. Cabo Verde – Viagem pela história das ilhas, published in 2003 was his historical presentation of all the nine inhabited islands that constitute Cape Verde. His recently published novels and works were Eva in 2006 and De Monte Cara vê-se o mundo in 2014.

Awards and honors

He has been awarded the Order of the Dragon Plant - First Class and the Portuguese Order of Merit.

Adaptations

The 1995 novel The Two Brothers (Os Dois Irmãos) and Agravos de um Artista (Engraved by the Artist) - a short story were performed as theatrical plays at the GTCCPPM in Mindelo, São Vicente in 1999 and in 2000. One of the roles were done by João Branco.