Is there any difference between male poets and female poets in terms of writing. There is a language more masculine and one more feminine?
MRP: I think this was more true than today. I'll tell you a funny story, I was twenty-something years when I sign in a poetry prize of the parish, because I needed a fridge, I ran with a pseudonym, by the way was a book that was published only locally and is not part of my bio today, because it is a juvenile book and a juror told me that in the jury one of the members as soon at it read my poem said: I know perfectly well who is this book from, is a man despite having a female pseudonym. I would say that my writing, by this point of view, is not perhaps absolutely a feminist writing. The truth is that I started publishing with more regularly and maturity, everyone thinks my poetry is the heir of Emily Dickenson, a domestic poetry, from the home, the house, so I would say yes, there is a women's poetry and other which is not necessarily male but not female too. I think this is less true now because the younger poets do not have to struggle so much in terms of affirmation of equality of opportunity, because the world has changed and although there is much to do, is clearly more fair and balanced in matters of parities, so maybe is not noticeable in young poets, because it is no longer a so evident concern.
As a poet you think that the Inês de Castro prize is important?
MRP: I think that is a particularly appropriate premium, because the story of Inês de Castro and her death by love has a lot to do with my poetry. It is a writing that speaks of a love that is worth dying for, or rise above. I thought it was a prize with grace, also all are important as recognition from others and on the other hand, a stimulus to our own creativity. Now, they are nothing more than that. I do not think it mean a lot in terms of pride, of vanity. I mean rather that our peers, the jury consisted of people of great respect, from the university, poets, novelists, people with a certain reputation, and then it's important for the person who earns think that those persons of recognized quotation have authenticated the merit of our work. More than that, no.
Are you preparing some other work of poetry?
MRP: We publish the reunited poetry in September, I'm not very productive in terms of poetry. In fifteen years I have 4 books, I'm a poet will not say lazy, but very low productive, because for now I work with books full time and have little time to write and organize myself. On the other hand, my poetry is associated with bad times in my life, even though I do not have many. Could not always be "suffering" in recent years I have had a very happy life, so I publish less. My last book which is 2012 is very much about the fear of what you have to lose that is good. So, I had always written about things that made me suffer and the truth is that having something so positive did not create the need to write until a time when there was a separation forced by work issues, I suddenly felt and if I lost it? It is indeed something very new and I'm not preparing any book. But we live in Portugal this situation has annoyed me and in the last two months, in March and April, has made me who write about this happening, because every day around me I see difficult situations, people who are competent fired because the company cannot hold more than X ordered, people with great skills who have lost their jobs with houses almost paid to the bank and had to deliver them, who again are living with the parents, aged 40 and with children and lost all the money they had invested and I found myself writing contrary to what had happened before, That I wrote about me, now, I write about the women of this time. 2013 is my mental motto and have half a dozen poems that would not give a book, but perhaps a plaque, for example, why prostitutes are turning to the streets when they were gone and had more dignified professions, why older people do not have money to buy medicine and thirdly, why the pharmacies close. I do not know whether it is a book.
Who are these women of 2013?
MRP: Are all of us. I am form a time until my adolescence I lived in a dictatorship. I had no relatives arrested, because he did not have an underground family. Had a reading family which was helpful for me, but during those 14 years watched things very unfair as maids who were are not working, they served. Were terrible things and they dreamed of call letters to Switzerland or Germany, because they wanted to have a better life. I watched the widespread illiteracy, 60% of people could not read. It costs me a lot to see disappear what we were adding since 1974, the families that put their children to study, to take courses, the evolution of the general welfare in terms of culture and education. It is the first time that after this change, I feel that we are walking backwards. People who could study has nowhere to work and will be repeat what happened with the parents and grandparents who are working in positions much smaller, there's a lot of people with college degrees as a supermarket cashier and on the other hand, there are people out abroad because there is no other option for them here. These mothers of these boys and girls, are all these women, the ones who lived before we can compare what was, what is and what could this be. Sure, they are all more sensitive to this situation, I've never been a mother, but I can appreciate that a mother who has to provide food for her children, who are hungry, can only be unhappy and have a tragic life and stop eating to give it to them. Are these women that I'm talking about.
