The National Library (BN) opened the exhibition this Wednesday (24) The language that is written on the sea – Camões 500 yearscommemorating the fifth centenary (500 years) of the birth of the Portuguese writer, in a closed ceremony attended by the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Paulo Rangel.
Held in partnership with the Portuguese Embassy in Brazil, sponsored by Camões – Portuguese Cultural Center in Brasília and Pinheiro Neto Advogados, the exhibition is free and will be open to the public until October 4, from Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 5 pm, at the headquarters of the National Library. The exhibition is also digital and can be accessed at library website.
Memory
The president of the National Library, Marco Lucchesi, told Brazil Agency that the institution has a long tradition of celebrating the presence of Camões “for everything it holds in its collection, which came from the Royal Library – Casa do Infantado, but also from what was acquired during the 19th century, particularly, and in the 20th century”.
“The National Library is today a very important center of Camonian memory, not only because of the more than 700 works it has about Camões but, in particular, because of the rare works,” said Lucchesi.
Among the rarities are the first editions of The Lusiadsfrom 1572, and the second, called the piscos, from 1584, in addition to the works Rhythms (1595) and Rhymes (1616).
According to Marco Lucchesi, the exhibition also addresses the presence of the first president of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL), Machado de Assis, at the first Camonian celebrations, which took place in 1880, with other sister institutions, and which were photographed, at the time, by Marc Ferrez.
“In this exhibition, we sought to show the core, which is the great wealth of the first and second editions of Camões, in addition to the history of the exhibitions of this house from the 19th century onwards, and precious cartographic material, such as that of Abraham Ortelius, and the original by Hans Staden about the trip to Brazil”, said the president of the BN.
Modernity
The Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, commented that the exhibition brings Camões back to life 500 years after his birth. He recalled that libraries are fundamental institutions for the transmission of knowledge and culture.
“They are not static, but dynamic and, therefore, they make things happen, like this one that makes Camões present, 500 years after his birth”.
He said that, ultimately, the exhibition celebrates the Portuguese language. “None of the literatures in Portuguese would be what they are if it weren’t for Camões.”
Paulo Rangel also recalled the modern aspect of Luís de Camões when he showed concern for women and their well-being, in situations of abandonment and helplessness, such as being left behind when men leave. “It reveals an extraordinary human and humanist sensitivity,” he said.
The Portuguese minister thanked the BN for organizing the exhibition and ended his speech by quoting verses from Camões, which make people think about the soldiers who will die, the families who will be abandoned, the idea that even in great deeds, human nature is always contradictory and there are always good and bad things.
Guests
Some artists were invited to collaborate in the interpretation of Camões, including Marcos Gusmão (photography), Nazareno (engraving reading the sea) and Ana Miranda, who provided the work Bionyricswhich deals with the relationship between the feminine and the sea.
The public will also be treated to a Memory Game which, from a playful perspective, offers the opportunity to find the verses by Camões that are displayed in the exhibition.
The president of the National Library highlighted the importance of the exhibition, stating that “those who speak the most here [na exposição] is Camões himself”.
The library is also exhibiting the Camoniana, which is an update of all of Camões’s work that the institution holds, including the 21st century. The exhibition includes maps of Lisbon and the Americas, made during Camões’ time, which was an era of navigation and discoveries that inspired the greatest Portuguese writer.
Visitors will also be able to appreciate illustrations present in Camões’ books, as well as several engravings and drawings from the 16th to the 19th centuries that portray and pay homage to the writer.
