cover image New Portuguese Letters

New Portuguese Letters

Maria Isabel Barreno. Readers International, $0 (323pp) ISBN 978-0-930523-97-8

First published in Portugal in 1972, New Portuguese Letters attracted international attention when the Portuguese government banned and confiscated all copies and arrested its authors-``the Three Marias''-for ``outrage to public decency'' and ``abuse of freedom of the press.'' Acquitted two years later, the authors and their collaborative reconsideration of the 17th-century romantic epistle, Letters of a Portuguese Nun, remained a cause celebre for feminist organizations around the world. This ably translated melange of feminist stories, letters, personal meditations and poetry explores both the range and bondaries of traditional Portuguese society. It is a classic reflection on women's lives: the Three Marias expose not only the tyrannical relations between the sexes, but also the everyday betrayals of mothers and daughters, friends and sisters, that restrict women's roles and impede effective social change. Perhaps more valuable as a historical document than a work of literature, New Portuguese Letters reflects both the enthusiasm and limitations of its generation: while a compelling example of second-wave feminist literature, the sentiments appear dated from the vantage point of our more jaded age. Still, it is intriguing reading for anyone interested in the progress of international feminism. (Oct.)