When Portugal celebrated the future: Herbert Daniel, 1975

Abstract

In this paper, we reflect on some aspects of the lifework of Herbert Eustáquio de Carvalho (1946-1992), better known by the pseudonym Herbert Daniel, a Brazilian author, still little recognized, who has recently attracted the interest of the Brazilian and international academic world. Fleeing the Brazilian military dictatorship, in 1975 Daniel lived in Portugal working on the Lisbon women’s magazine Modas e Bordados (a supplement to O Século), under the direction of feminist journalist Maria Antónia Palla. Through this collaboration, Daniel contributed to the introduction of progressive social organizations by updating the magazine’s editorial line during the Ongoing Revolutionary Process (PREC). During the same period, his boyfriend Cláudio Mesquita, who accompanied him as he fled the Brazilian military dictatorship, worked as a pamphleteer and educational campaigner for the Armed Forces Movement (MFA). Given his rudiments of medicine, Daniel signed a column called “Haja Saúde” (Let there be health) addressing issues such as racism, the right to decent working conditions, rest, and leisure, and witnessing the implementation of the National Health Service (SNS). Daniel also reflected on the importance of family planning and women’s freedom of choice, demanding the right to abortion. On the other hand, Daniel observed the troubled experiences of homosexuals and Brazilian refugees in Portugal, at a time when the author consciously recognized his status as a homosexual and exile for the first time. Therefore, by analyzing the chronicles published in 1975 alongside excerpts from his later works, we can observe the dialogue between the author’s life and thought and the historical and cultural context of the Carnation Revolution, highlighting the relevance of his demands, which are still avant-garde today.