Orlando Mendes

Orlando Mendes (Orlando Marques de Almeida Mendes ) (* August 4, 1916 at Ilha de Moçambique, Mozambique, † January 11, 1990 in Maputo ) was a Mozambican writer.

Biography

Orlando Mendes parents had come to the turn of the century from Portugal to Mozambique. After completing his schooling, Orlando Mendes worked as a finance officer for the government, but aspired to a higher education, which was associated at that time necessarily with a trip to Portugal. In 1944 he moved with his wife and his four year old daughter to Coimbra, where he studied biology. After graduating in 1951, he returned to Mozambique back. He worked as a biologist in Lourenço Marques. At the same time worked as an editor for magazines Tempo, Itinerário, Vértice and África. Although he was of Portuguese descent, he complained about the poor treatment of blacks by the colonial power, Portugal. In addition, he criticized the authoritarian- repressive Salazar regime. During the Mozambican War of Independence against Portugal, he sided with the FRELIMO Party and nationalist poems published. Overall, Orlando Mendes published eleven books of poetry, a novel, a play and several short stories. His poetry is strongly influenced by the Portuguese neo- realism.

Works

• Trajectórias (1940 )
• Clima (1951 )
• Carta da estrada do capataz 95 (1960 )
• Depois do Sétimo dia (1963 )
• Portagem (1966 )
• VESPERA confiada (1968 )
• To minuto de silêncio (1970 )
• Adeus de gutucumbui (1971 )
• A fome the larvas (1975 )
• País Emerso ( 1975-76 )
• Produção com que Aprendo (1978 )
• Lume na forja Florindo (1981 )
• Papá Operário corn Seis Histórias (1983 )
• Sobre Literatura Moçambicana (1982 )

Awards

He received the 1946 Prémio Fialho de Almeida Florais the Jogos da Universidade de Coimbra and the first Prémio de Poesia in the literary competition of the city Lourenço Marques.