10 Lhiteratura Mirandesa / Mirandese Literature

Miandese has always had a rich tradition of oral literature in diverse forms like poetry, tales, songs, prayers, etc. Some of these are specific to the Land of Miranda like, for example, the songs that regional dancers use in their choreographies, which are called “lhaços”. Most of this oral literature is yet to be documented and, most importantly, analysed and studied. Also, much of it includes Portuguese and Spanish. After Vasconcellos’ publications in the 19th century (see chapter 2), António Maria Mourinho’s poems are a great example of Mirandese literature in the 20th century. They can be found in the books “Nuossa Alma i Nuossa Terra” (1961) and “Scoba Frolida an Agosto” (1978). Alfredo Cortês wrote “As Saias” (1938), a theatre play that was put on stage at the National Theatre D Maria II in Lisbon.

Other authors had to wait until the 90s to get their work published, like Manuel Preto, who wrote “Bersos Mirandeses” (published 1993). The 21st century represented a fresh start; the inclusion of Mirandese in school for the first time (1986), the publication of the Orthographical Convention (1999) and the publication of the law 7/99 really were some of the factors that helped the development of literature in Mirandese in the new century.

Since then, the number of authors writing (and translating) in Mirandese has been growing.

Nowadays, the books with the most exposure are the translations of “Ls Lusíadas”, the Bible, The Little Prince and comic books such as Asterix the Gaul. But of course, the Mirandese community continues to develop their own literature.

The ability to create new texts of different genres and characteristics is one of the ways in which the Mirandese language is valorised. We could say that written literature in Mirandese belongs mostly to the 21st century, but it’s still strongly linked to the past and to themes of nostalgia. The language itself is one of the most recurrent topics. However, authors are exploring contemporary topics and forms more and more. While some see electronic media as a threat to the Mirandese language, others see it an opportunity.