Macau is not a country of poets.
We confirm it with surprise: this is because on the one hand China confines the great heritage of its Culture of precious chapters of poetic tradition and a wonderful pantheon of poets, while on the other hand in Portugal the genius of the lyrical poet emanates from the weatherboard to serve us as an image of a poet.
But mysteriously, Macau has a driving force in attracting itself famous poets. From Portugal, some of the greatest poets were: Bocage, Camilo Pessanha, António Patrício.
Coincidentally, soon after the XVI century (and perhaps in the same period of the XVI century) Macau was visited by two of the most lively figures in the literature of two different cultures: Luís de Camões, the creative genius of "Lusíadas", and Tang Xianzu, the great dramatist of Ming Dynasty, author of the immortal drama "The Pavillion of Peony", known as the "Shakespeare of the Orient".
Even to-day, a mysterious convocation has brought together to this already sacred country of Poetry within one month, two of the greatest living poets: Miguel Torga and Ai Qing.
At the invitation of ICM, Ai Qing arrived to witness the publication of the bilingual edition (in Portuguese and Chinese) of his Poetical Anthology.
The arrival of Torga, also invited by ICM for the commemorative programme on 10th June for a conference on Luís de Camões in Salão Nobre of Leal Senado, and to preside over the inauguration of a photo-bibliographical exhibition in recollection of his life and work, as well as to witness the extraordinary presentation of his work "0 Mar", staged by A. M. Couto Viana.
Translated by João Libano•
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