First There Was Camões

This anthology, edited by Russian scholars of Portuguese studies Maria Maznyak and Varvara Kuznetsova, brings together short fiction by Portuguese-language writers from Africa and Asia − most of whom remain little known to Russian readers. The volume is timely for several reasons, including the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe, which gained independence from Portugal fifty years ago. The anthology’s publication is also significant in the context of the steadily growing influence of Afro-Asian countries on the international stage. The choice of short fiction is deliberate: in a fast-paced contemporary world, this genre is especially in demand. The selection of authors has been carefully curated. It includes both literary figures recognized in their home countries — and sometimes internationally − and «pioneers» representing, for example, East Timor, where until recently literature existed primarily in oral form. Taken together, the contributors reveal the thematic and stylistic diversity of this Lusophone segment of world literature. Readers who do not know the original language can nevertheless appreciate the texts thanks to the high quality of the translations. Importantly, this is a critical anthology: it contains not only a corpus of literary works, but also biographical notes, research-based afterwords that introduce and contextualize each author, and substantial prefaces to each national section − features that encourage deeper reflection on what is read. The anthology compiled by Maznyak and Kuznetsova is the result of extensive and meticulous work, and its publication will undoubtedly stimulate further development of Russian Portuguese studies as a scholarly field.