Portuguese American Journal

In Memoriam | Maria Teresa Horta: A life of poetry and defiance – Portugal

Maria Teresa Horta (1937-2025) passed away today in Lisbon at the age of 87. A Portuguese poet, journalist, and feminist icon, she was a defining figure in literature and activism.

Her legacy is marked by fearless advocacy for women’s rights—whether in professional spaces or personal freedom—at a time when such defiance risked imprisonment. Her prominent work often dealt with themes of gender, identity, and freedom of expression.

The Three Marias

Horta was one of the “Three Marias,” co-authoring Novas Cartas Portuguesas [The Three Marias: New Portuguese Letters] alongside Maria Velho da Costa and Maria Isabel Barreno.

Published in 1972, the book was banned by the Estado Novo regime for its denunciation of oppression, war, and fascism.

A trial against the authors dubbed the “Three Marias,” gained worldwide media coverage and became the first international feminist cause voted on by the National Organization for Women (NOW). Their trial gained international attention, with figures like Simone de Beauvoir and Doris Lessing rallying in support.

Horta’s poetry was equally revolutionary; her 1971 collection Minha Senhora de Mim, exploring female desire, led to a violent attack on her in Lisbon—an attempt to silence her voice.

Throughout her career, Horta published nearly 40 works encompassing poetry, fiction, and essays, becoming one of the most important voices in contemporary Portuguese literature. 

Born in Lisbon on May 20, 1937, Horta was deeply influenced by her grandmother, a suffragist who nurtured her love for literature. She began her journalism career at 17, writing for República, A Capital, Expresso, and Diário de Notícias, while also editing Mulher (1978–1989). Yet, poetry remained her true calling. “I am my poetry,” she once declared. Her work, spanning over 40 titles, broke taboos and championed freedom, often at personal cost.

Horta’s defiance extended beyond the dictatorship. In 2011, she rejected a literary award rather than accept it from Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, whose austerity policies she opposed. In 2017 she declined the prestigious Océanos Prize, refusing to share it. Her unwavering spirit never faded.

Recently, she was recognized by the BBC as one of the 100 most influential and inspiring women in the world. The Portuguese Ministry of Culture distinguished her with the Medal of Cultural Merit in 2020 and, in 2022, she was awarded the rank of Grand Officer of the Order of Liberty.

A loss of “incalculable dimensions,” as her publisher Dom Quixote stated, Maria Teresa Horta leaves behind an enduring legacy in literature, journalism, and feminism—a voice that will never cease to challenge, provoke, and inspire.

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Carolina Matos | Editor

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