READING CLUB OF LAGOS, by José Garrido

June 13 | 6:00 PM

Location: Municipal Library of Lagos Organization: CM Lagos Duration: 2h Age rating: M18 (limit of 25 participants)

All activities at the Municipal Library are free to participate, but prior registration is mandatory up to 48 hours before the event through the phone 282 767 816, the Library's Facebook page, or email biblioteca@cm-lagos.pt. Each initiative requires a minimum number of participants. If this is not reached, the activity may be canceled.

Theme of the cycle: IN A PLEASANT PENANCE: THE RESCUE OF THE LANGUAGE. WHAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN IN PORTUGAL SINCE THE MILLENNIUM BUG.

There are several reasons that distance us from the language, from the use and enjoyment of (good) Portuguese. A natural propensity for welcoming other cultures, as well as the generalization of greater linguistic competencies, are associated with increasingly careless and automated translations in texts and subtitles. We propose an immersion, with delight, in a selection of works in Portuguese, from Portugal, published since the advent of the second millennium.

Book in reading: The Last Grandfather, by Afonso Reis Cabral When Augusto Campelo, the most brilliant Portuguese writer, burns the manuscript he worked on for years, he leaves behind a mystery: was it the long-awaited novel about the traumatic experience of the Colonial War, which he spoke of so often but never dedicated a book to? The doubt remains: the writer dies a week later.

Thus, it falls to the grandson — heir to the name and family memory — the mission to uncover the truth and understand (or not) the gesture of his grandfather. But this search unwittingly drags him into a much more painful territory, linked to the flight and premature death of his mother, whose absence has been emphasized for years by a locked room in his grandfather's house. Crossing the intimacy of three generations of a family marked by losses, conflicts, and passions, The Last Grandfather tells the story of the relationship between a tyrannical writer and his only grandson, between literary heritage and real life. After My Brother (LeYa Prize) and Sugar Loaf (José Saramago Literary Prize), this stunning return of Afonso Reis Cabral confirms him as one of the major voices of contemporary Portuguese literature.

BIOGRAPHY: José Garrido has been in the Algarve for over 30 years, taking on the challenge of coordinating the Tourism Promotion of the Algarve Tourism Region and has never left. An avid reader since always, he has elevated this pleasure to the level of art and obsession over the last decade. Alongside his short texts and various articles throughout his life, he has published more substantial works, recently releasing two novels. Attending literary events and participating in Reading Clubs have become part of a daily life increasingly engaged with books and writing. Taking on the programming of the Reading Club at the Municipal Library of Lagos for the 2025/2026 cycle was a natural, almost predictable step, just like his thematic proposal, “IN A PLEASURABLE PENANCE: THE RESCUE OF THE LANGUAGE,” the (good) writing in Portuguese from the last quarter-century.

Free parking - The Cultural Center of Lagos and the Municipal Library of Lagos offer free parking at the riverfront park (Avenida dos Descobrimentos) for the audience of their shows/events. To receive this discount, users must present, at the park's reception, a stamp obtained at the ticket office of the Cultural Center of Lagos or the entrance of the Municipal Library of Lagos. This offer applies only one hour before and up to one hour after each show/event.