The role of literature in the construction of peace in Portugal and Spain during the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries

Abstract

This text studies how literature has collaborated in the construction of peace in Portuguese and Spanish societies throughout the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Initially it focuses on a founding text of Portuguese literature, Os lusíadas, of 1572, which constitutes a belligerent paradigm. However, there is also desires for love in this epic text. Later authors such as Camilo Pessanha, Jaime Cortesão and Fernando Pessoa will critique this epic aggressive model. This contributes to a peaceful society, currently the fourth safest in the world according to the Global Peace Index. In the Spanish case, some writers like Pérez Galdós made an equivalent effort for peace and harmony, but the social prestige of war, of conflict situations is still maintained in their literary works and in the current Spanish society.