Luís Cardoso is one of the most prominent figures in East Timor’s contemporary literature. He graduated in Forestry in Lisbon and devoted much of his life to the cause of Timorese independence, having served as a representative of the National Council of the Maubere Resistance in Portugal. His literary career came to prominence in 1997 with Crónica de uma Travessia, a work that intertwines personal memory with the collective destiny of his nation. In 2021, he reached a significant milestone by winning the Oceanos Prize for his novel O Plantador de Abóboras, becoming the first Timorese writer to receive this distinction. He was awarded the Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste for his literary and civic contributions and recently published the novel Hotel Timor (2025), consolidating his place as a central figure in his country’s prose and collective memory.

Organization

CHAM / NOVA FCSH