Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins. 'The Generation of 70 criticized us to make us better'

With an introduction by Eduardo Lourenço and organized and coordinated by Ana Maria Almeida Martins, Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins, and Manuela Rêgo, the Dictionary of the Generation of 70 is the result of a collective effort that took no less than thirty years to take shape. This 800-page work, a joint edition by Imprensa Nacional and Presença, goes beyond the major protagonists, also introducing us to the lesser-remembered names that gravitate around this core group. From a comprehensive and multifaceted perspective, it also covers the arts, sciences, ideas, political life, publications, and the intriguing episodes—such as the famous duel between Antero de Quental and Ramalho Ortigão, or Antero's visit to historian Jules Michelet in Paris—that marked the era.

At Nascer do SOL, Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins, executive director of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, former president of the National Culture Center (where he maintains an active role) and one of the mentors of this Dictionary, talks about the decisive importance of the Generation of 70 and explains why he considers that those who called themselves 'Life's Losers' were ultimately winners.

I confess I didn't expect this Dictionary to be such an ambitious work. In fact, I get the impression it's almost an encyclopedia of 19th-century Portuguese, or at least the second half of the 19th century. The second half. That's what was intended, and it involved the participation of the best people who have produced work on the Generation of 70 over the last 30 years, which was absolutely remarkable. So remarkable, in fact, that António José Saraiva's last work, A Tertúlia Ocidental, focused precisely on the origins of the Generation of 70.

The introduction is by Eduardo Lourenço, who left us in 2020. This is, therefore, a project that was a long time coming, wasn't it? Did you say 30 years? It was 30 years, and one of the greatest enthusiasts and driving forces was precisely Professor Eduardo Lourenço, who considered it essential to bring together a set of fundamental elements regarding this generation. Miguel de Unamuno, the great Spanish thinker, considered that the Generation of 70 could be said to be "the golden age of Portuguese culture"—I'm quoting, not commenting. And today we understand this, because the repercussions are truly enormous. This importance is not limited to the second half of the 19th century. When we look at the Portuguese Renaissance, when we look at Seara Nova, when we look at Orpheu… Eduardo Lourenço used to say that, although Fernando Pessoa didn't mention Oliveira Martins, the truth is that the History of Portugal is very present in Fernando Pessoa's Message. Pessoa was like that; he often concealed the basis from which he began. And the understanding of Professor Eduardo Lourenço, who was a great scholar of Fernando Pessoa, and the author of one of the fundamental works, which is Pessoa Revisitado, said that it is not possible to understand the Message and the historical thought of Fernando Pessoa without reaching the Generation of 70, namely the History of Portugal by Oliveira Martins.

Unamuno called it a 'golden age.' Were there particular conditions for the emergence of this constellation of authors? Was the ground, so to speak, prepared, or is it one of those historical accidents that happen from time to time? It's not a historical accident because it's the product of 19th-century freedom. We must understand that the 1820 revolution initiated constitutionalism, there was the civil war, but a climate of freedom of thought was created that cannot be forgotten when we talk about the Generation of 70. I would say that, first and foremost, the Generation of 70 is a product of freedom. It's curious to note that the ban on Salomão Sáragga's conference at the Casino is absolutely exceptional, because the conferences had been authorized and were taking place. Antero de Quental gave two conferences. Eça de Queirós gave one conference. Adolfo Coelho gave another. Only when the time came to address a religious issue, in some way, did this exceptional prohibition of a cultural initiative arise. And it's curious to note that, faced with the conference's ban, the first signatory to this attack on freedom is Alexandre Herculano, a romantic, a man of the first generation, who, along with Almeida Garrett, constitutes an absolutely fundamental role model. Alexandre Herculano was the first to express his indignation and write against the conference's ban. He asserts that there is no greater value in society than freedom of speech, the freedom of ideas.

Can we consider the Casino Conferences somewhat as the touchstone of the movement, but also as a civic upheaval? Exactly. It's a civic upheaval, but with a European dimension. The Casino Conferences took place in May 1871, the exact same month as the Paris Commune. In other words, the Franco-Prussian War ended, Napoleon III was defeated, the empire fell, and the Paris Commune, the state of siege, took place, with all the consequences we know. And at the same time, here in Portugal, but peacefully, essentially through the debate of ideas, the Democratic Conferences took place. In fact, when we read Professor Eduardo Lourenço's introduction, we become aware that Antero de Quental's conferences at the Casino were absolutely crucial. Portugal was to enter industrialization. And to speak of industrialization is naturally to speak of progress and development. In fact, going back, the origins of this group are in Coimbra. And it is in Coimbra that the first major debate takes place, on the 'Question of Common Sense and Good Taste,' in which the young people [Antero, Eça, Teófilo Braga] advocate for a new school. A new school that is naturalism—and that is why Eça de Queirós will speak at the Casino Conferences about the literature that is called 'realist' here, but that in Europe is called 'naturalism.' And the symbol of this situation is precisely the fact that it has become indispensable to open new horizons in relation to European and Portuguese society. That is what it is all about.

The connections of some members of the Generation of 70 abroad also reinforce this idea. Eça and Ramalho spend a lot of time abroad. Antero himself also passes through Paris. This episode of Antero de Quental in Paris is very curious, as he goes incognito, without identifying himself, to speak with Michelet, the great historian of the French Revolution. Without revealing who he is, without revealing what he does here in Portugal, he visits Michelet. And that was fundamental to him: recognizing the importance of French culture, and specifically the legacy of the French Revolution.

He spoke about his origins in Coimbra, there's that great controversy... Exactly, the question of common sense and good taste.

Between Antero and Feliciano de Castilho. Then, in 1965, the Modern Odes were seen as a kind of earthquake in literature. Exactly.

Critical thinking is a kind of watermark of the movement. Wasn't this critical thinking sometimes taken too far? Weren't the members of the Generation of 70 unfair in their criticism? They acknowledged this, particularly by symbolizing the past in António Feliciano de Castilho. Eça de Queirós would acknowledge some exaggeration. The point was not to diminish the role António Feliciano de Castilho played. Feliciano de Castilho is a fundamental figure in the renewal, particularly in the field of education. He was the author of the first reading method before the celebrated João de Deus method, developed by the Generation of 70. Note: one of the most notable members of the Generation of 70 would be the author of the new method, which is the method that survives today.

The Maternal Primer, through which I learned to read. It's a method with extraordinary longevity! If we talk about the people of the Generation of 70, we have to talk about João de Deus. Now, what did this have to do with the ideas of the Generation of 70? The need to educate the people. It's very curious that Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, author of Álbum das Glórias, asks Ramalho Ortigão to write about a somewhat bizarre figure: Zé Povinho. Ramalho Ortigão writes about Zé Povinho in Álbum das Glórias. And Ramalho ends his text by saying: "We all aspire for Zé Povinho, freeing himself from shackles and limits, to become the people. We don't want him to be Zé Povinho; we want him to simply call himself the people." And it's curious that Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro represents Zé Povinho freeing himself from the pack and simultaneously saying: "You want it on credit... Take it!" [laughter]

This is another interesting aspect of the Dictionary. When we think of the Generation of 70, we think primarily of literature. But here we have other dimensions – we have art, philosophy, medicine, politics… And music. We remember, for example, that A Portuguesa, our anthem, was written by a man from the Generation of 70, Henrique Lopes de Mendonça, and by a musician from the Generation of 70, Alfredo Keil. Often, when presenting the Dictionary, people have asked: what about the women? There are two extraordinary women who are very present here, and who had significant influence. I'm talking about Maria Amália Vaz de Carvalho [writer, the first woman to be accepted into the Lisbon Academy of Sciences], and Carolina Michaëlis de Vasconcelos, married to Joaquim de Vasconcelos [a Porto native, founder of the History of Art in Portugal]. And, therefore, there are two women. We've talked about musicians, but we must also talk, of course, about painting, by Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro. And caricature. Rafael was a great caricaturist, worldwide; we can compare his caricatures to those of Vanity Fair, to the best that was produced in Europe. It's truly comprehensive. And that's why this work is fascinating. Just a little while ago, speaking with Pedro Mexia, I recalled a remarkable text in this Dictionary by João Bigotte Chorão, about the relationship between Camilo and Eça. Here, we demystify that confrontation. There's no confrontation, there's complementarity. They are two great figures. Different, naturally, because Eça begins laying the foundations of the new naturalism, but then ends up as a symbolist. I spoke earlier about Coimbra, about Good Sense and Good Taste. But we can't forget the Cenáculo, in Lisbon, where Antero meets with Jaime Batalha-Reis and they create an extraordinary magazine, where O Crime do Padre Amaro will first be published, which is an example of what, newly, was being done and thought. After the Cenacle, there will be the Casino Conferences and an important political renewal movement, Vida Nova, based in Porto. It's important to emphasize that Porto plays a fundamental role here; it's a city that truly shapes the culture and life of this time. And then we have the final group, which ended up being called "Os Vencidos da Vida," but which originates as an ironic name. "Vencido" is the translation of the French "battu." Battu isn't exactly "vanquished" in the Portuguese sense of the term.

Would it be something closer to 'mistreated'? Mistreated, exactly. They went to fight, they were mistreated.

Because they were known as "Life's vanquished," the work they left us is a triumph. And that's why I began by discussing Unamuno, a great European intellectual, universally recognized, who said: "If there was a golden generation in Portugal, it was the Generation of '70." Hence the ironic aspect of the word "vanquished." The Latin was often used as: "Victus sed victor." "Vanquished, but victorious." The truth is that we see the 19th century end in great decline, but then the 20th century will, in some way, be reborn. And that's why great intellectuals of the 20th century sought their foundations and considered the Generation of '70 a master generation. And we return to António José Saraiva, or António Sérgio, who truly recognized the importance of this generation. That's why this Dictionary, drawing on diverse situations and diverse realities, reveals the foundations of the 20th century and, ultimately, even of democracy.

He mentioned The Crime of Father Amaro. We note an ambiguous relationship with religion among these intellectuals. On the one hand, they strongly criticize the Church, but then... Above all, they criticize clericalism.

Eça wrote The Crime of Father Amaro, but also The Legends of Saints. Therefore, we must learn a lesson. For this generation, clericalism was a bad advisor. Which doesn't mean it wasn't necessary, and we have clear examples. Eduardo Lourenço says that there is a strong mysticism in Antero de Quental, which gives him weight and importance, and which leads 20th-century authors, such as Sophia de Mello Breyner or Ruy Belo, to draw from Antero de Quental for the richness of their literary production.

I was also going to mention the example of Oliveira Martins, who was a violent critic of the Church—particularly the Jesuits—and, at the end of his life, ended up receiving the last rites. Which reflects the complexity. That's why we began this dictionary by talking about a 'paradoxical generation.' What does a paradoxical generation mean? It's a generation that doesn't fear contradiction, doesn't fear criticism, but is always willing to consider complexity. Human thought is always dominated by multiple factors. We cannot give in to a reductive temptation or forget the diversity of literary production. The influence of Zola's La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret on The Crime of Father Amaro has been mentioned. And Eça de Queirós clarifies this: it was essential to shake up ideas, to have a critical sense, it was essential to have no dogmatism.

Leafing through the Dictionary, I get the strong impression that the longest entry, at 14.5 pages, is the one on suicide. It's a very important text by Professor João Fatela—and very revealing, because it doesn't simplify. Unamuno simplified when he spoke of the "country of suicides." This was due to the absolutely exceptional circumstance of the convergence of Camilo Castelo Branco, Antero de Quintal, Soares dos Reis, and Manuel Laranjeira, who had all committed suicide. But João Fatela, as the expert that he is, writes a remarkable and well-founded text. And it's a very interesting text, which opens up positive avenues—because the topic of suicide is always a very complex one. We, the readers, remember that Seneca was the great theorist on suicide.

And doesn't it seem to you that the length of this entry might also say something about the pessimism that hangs over the Generation of '70? It's possible. The Generation of '70 left us no key to solving the problem. Several decades later, Gramsci speaks to us of the pessimism of thought and the optimism of will. Once again, we return to the paradox, to the paradoxical generation. It is a paradoxical generation. At once pessimistic, in this sense of pessimism of thought, a natural consequence of being critical, but simultaneously possessing the optimism of will. And that is the great lesson. Eduardo Lourenço mentions this very clearly in his introduction, when he says that we are often tempted to view this generation only negatively and forget that it was a generation that criticized in order to improve ourselves.