Horta, Maria Teresa (1937–)
Horta, Maria Teresa (1937–)
Portuguese writer and feminist. Name variations: The Three Marias. Born in Lisbon, May 20, 1937; studied at Lisbon Arts Faculty; married with children.
Published 1st volume of poetry, Espelho Inicial (1960), followed by 1st novel, Ambas as Maãos sobre o Corpo (1970); published Minha Senhora de Mim (Milady of Me), a collection of poems, confiscated by censors, that celebrated the female body (1971); with Maria Velho da Costa and Maria Isabel Barreno, wrote and published Novas Cartas Portuguesas (The New Portuguese Letters, 1972), which led the modern feminist literary movement in Portugal and achieved notoriety because of the government's attempt to suppress the work; became national figure, defended by prominent writers and international feminist organizations; continued to explore feminist themes in later poetry and novels: Os Anjos (1983), Ema (1984), Cristina (1985), Minha Maãe, Meu Amor (1986), Rosa Sangrenta (1987) and Paixaão Segundo Constança H (1994); co-authored a work on abortion rights, Aborto: Direito ao Nosso Corpo (1975).
See also The Three Marias: New Portuguese Letters (trans. by Helen R. Lane, Doubleday, 1975); and Women in World History.