Friday Briefing: Summer readings 2025, part I

Good morning and welcome to PORTUGAL DECODED. From history to the arts and, of course, fiction, there is plenty of exciting writing by foreigners about Portugal. Here’s our top picks this season.

TALK OF THE TOWN

Illustration by Angie Wang for The New York Times

POLITICS

Bulldozers razed shantytowns in Socialist-run Loures and Amadora, in the suburbs of Lisbon, displacing residents and igniting a political storm over the increasingly volatile politics-immigration-housing nexus (More).

Parliament approved the government’s immigration reform with support from most right‑wing parties, while the liberals abstained and the left opposed it. The bill now goes to the President for a potential veto or constitutional review (More).

SOCIETY

Crime in Portugal has fallen by 1.3% over the past 25 years, yet front‑page crime coverage has doubled, fueling a sense of insecurity that does not match actual crime levels, a new report says (More).

AIMA has launched a multilingual social media campaign urging eligible foreign residents in Portugal to register by August 11 to vote in the local elections this October (More).

ECONOMICS

Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2025, housing prices surged by a record 18.7% year‑on‑year, marking the fastest growth since the National Statistics Institute (INE) began tracking the market in 2019 (More).

Parliament approved personal income tax cuts for 2025 worth €500 M and, through a deal with Chega that kicks off the 2026 State Budget negotiations, confirmed an extra 0.3‑point reduction in 2026, raising total relief to €611 M (More).

CULTURE AND SPORTS

Historic cultural weekly Jornal de Letras is facing closure after 45 years, as parent group Trust in News faces insolvency, unpaid wages, and heavy debts (More).

Football star Diogo Jota, who died alongside his brother André Silva in a car crash on July 3, has been immortalized in a mural near Anfield, the Liverpool FC’s home stadium (More).

DECODER

‘Empire Adrift’ by Patrick Wilcken

This book feels especially timely, given this year’s 50th anniversary of the independence of Portugal’s former colonies and, indeed, the country’s current political climate. In 1807, on the night before the Napoleonic troops reached Lisbon, the 10,000‑strong Portuguese court fled to Brazil. For the first time, a colonial empire saw its mother country and colony trade places. Australian author Patrick Wilcken offers a vivid and often hysterically funny account of the personal and political dramas behind this extraordinary episode. Two months later, the court arrived in Brazil, lice‑ridden and in rags, to the awe of the local population. Over the next thirteen years, they re‑created the European imperial court in Rio de Janeiro, an archaic “tropical Versailles” set amid the America’s largest slave port. The royal entourage was as dramatic as its escape: the Dowager Queen Maria, half‑mad and perpetually in mourning; King John, indecisive and awkward; Queen Carlota of Spain, his resentful wife, who tried to bite his ear off on their wedding night; and Dom Pedro, a philandering, rough‑edged heir who urinated and defecated without embarrassment in front of his troops, but would ultimately lead Brazil to independence.

“Alentejo Blue” by Monica Ali

Summer, when many in Portugal head south, is the perfect moment to explore Monica Ali’s quietly hypnotic portrait of Mamarrosa, a hilltop village in the sun‑drenched Alentejo. For some characters, this speck on the map is a cage to flee; for others, it is sanctuary. In Vasco’s café, Mamarrosa’s unofficial parliament, locals and outsiders mingle: a disillusioned owner, a restless teen dreaming of au-pair life abroad, a gay pig farmer, even a dysfunctional English family on the cheap. Each chapter is a vignette that slips effortlessly into the next, revealing hidden loyalties, private griefs, and small consolations. Ali’s style is lean yet lyrical, capturing cracked whitewashed walls, cicada heat, and the languid rhythm of rural afternoons. What emerges is a mosaic of longing and belonging that feels both distinctly Portuguese and universally human. Slim, polished, and gently bittersweet, Alentejo Blue may be “neat” and “pretty,” but beneath its calm surface lies a rich meditation on hope, disillusionment, and the places we carry inside us.

‘Pereira Maintains’ by Antonio Tabucchi

Set in 1930s Portugal under Salazar’s dictatorship, this compact masterpiece captures the oppressive heat of Lisbon, the menace of secret police, and the inner struggle of a man learning to take a stand (rings a bell?). Through the eyes of Pereira, an aging, overweight culture editor at a Lisbon newspaper, Tabucchi explores what it means to awaken morally in the face of repression. Pereira begins as an apolitical man devoted to French literature and nostalgic memories, but his encounter with a young anti‑fascist writer slowly draws him into the dangerous currents of his time. Tabucchi’s prose is deceptively simple, rhythmic, and layered with irony, and his choice to frame the narrative as a series of statements, “Pereira maintains…”, creates a haunting sense of testimony. Deeply in love with Portugal, Tabucchi was an expert, critic and translator of the works of Fernando Pessoa, to the study of which he devoted a large part of his scholarly life. However, the moral questions that he explores in this novel (sometimes titled as Pereira Declares) resonate far beyond Portugal’s borders, and it is widely regarded as a modern classic in his native Italy.

‘The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon’ by Richard Zimmler

At a time when Portugal considers ending the special naturalization regime for Sephardic Jews, it is worth recalling why such historical reparation matters. In the 16th century, Jews in Portugal lived as forced converts, secretly practicing their faith while enduring waves of violence and persecution. Against this perilous backdrop, Richard Zimler places Berekiah Zarco, a young manuscript illuminator and Kabbalist, living in Lisbon’s Jewish quarter, the Alfama. His life shatters during the 1506 pogrom, when he discovers his uncle’s body in their hidden book cellar beside a murdered young woman. Convinced a trusted friend is to blame, Berekiah embarks on a perilous search through Lisbon’s labyrinthine streets. First published in Portuguese, The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon blends suspense with rich historical detail, bringing to life a vibrant yet endangered Sephardic culture in a haunting mystery of betrayal, resilience, and the enduring quest for justice.

‘Patterns of Portugal’ by Christine Chitnis

This is the perfect book to keep by your side when you need a lift, on one of those hot days when a tangle with Portuguese bureaucracy might test your patience and you want to remember why you love Portugal. Primarily a book of photographs, it offers a breathtaking visual journey through the country’s architecture, culture, and landscapes. You’ll find everything from the playful, food‑inspired tiles in Lisbon’s Azulejo Museum café, to the exquisite, hard‑to‑reach tiles in the former convent now housing the Foreign Ministry, to a striking contemporary home by acclaimed architects Aires Mateus overlooking the Atlantic. Add in the glittering Algarve coast and the lush Douro valleys, and the images alone are enough to fall in love with Portugal all over again. But there’s more: each section pairs those visuals with thoughtful essays that delve into history, architecture, cuisine, art, and tradition, making this book as informative as it is beautiful.

‘Women Who Walk:’ by Louise Ross

Here’s a unique book by an expat about life as an expat in Portugal. According to the author, the “walk” in the title is less about the physical act of walking and more a metaphor for progress, women moving forward with purpose, strength, and empowerment. To illustrate this idea, Louise offers a compelling collection of 20 interviews with a diverse group of 20 expatriate women from 16 different countries, who came to live in Portugal Their stories reveal how travel and cultural immersion become a form of higher education, a path to personal growth, and a lens through which to gain deeper understanding and appreciation of differences that too often divide us. Told with honesty and openness—sometimes with humor, sometimes through tears—these narratives are courageous, uplifting, and deeply moving. Together they form a powerful testament to resilience and self‑discovery, offering readers moments of recognition and inspiration, and reassuring them that their own life journeys, with all their twists and turns, are part of a shared human experience.

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TIPS OF WEEK

Lisbon

My shipmate and friend Luís de Camões

Until July 27, this exhibition offers the perfect excuse to return to the Portuguese Pavilion, designed by renowned architect Álvaro Siza Vieira for Expo 98, and that has been closed for more than two decades. Conceived as a visual dialogue between the epic poem The Lusiads, Camões’s life, and the visual arts, it unfolds across 12 themed sections. Visitors encounter sculptures by Simões de Almeida and Canto da Maya, paintings by José Malhoa, Columbano, Veloso Salgado, Cristóvão de Morais, Lourdes Castro, Géricault, and James Ward after Titian, alongside drawings by Domingos António de Sequeira, Luca Cambiaso, and Abraham Bloemaert. Contemporary photography is represented by Candida Höfer, Thomas Ruff, Jorge Molder, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Luís Pavão. The works, on loan from leading museums and private collections, create an innovative conversation between Camões’s poetry and centuries of artistic interpretation. Free entrance.

Porto

Maurizio Cattelan: Sussurro

Maurizio Cattelan, born in Padua, Italy, in 1960, is renowned for works that mix humor and irony while questioning contemporary values. His retrospective Sussurro is presented at the Serralves Villa, a 1930s Art Deco house in Porto, and extends into Serralves Park with site‑specific sculptures. The exhibition gathers pieces deeply connected to history, exploring transitions between life and death, childhood and adulthood, and the shifting nature of eras. Cattelan’s works function like theatrical scenes populated by historical figures, animals, objects, and references to artists from Beuys to Warhol, creating a family of misfits that confront memory and culture. Space, staging, and context are integral to his art, guiding how visitors perceive it. Sussurro mirrors Bosch’s Temptations of Saint Anthony in Lisbon, exposing humanity’s complicity with corruption through grotesque humor and blasphemy. Curated by Philippe Vergne and coordinated by Giovana Gabriel, this Serralves Foundation exhibition challenges viewers through striking, unsettling images.

Barcelos, Braga, Famalicão and Guimarães

Vaudeville Rendez-Vous

Until Saturday, July 19, the 11th edition of the Vaudeville Rendez‑Vous International Contemporary Circus Festival will take over streets, squares, and unexpected spaces in Barcelos, Braga, Guimarães, and Vila Nova de Famalicão. This year’s theme revolves around the cycle of life, with highlights ranging from knitted installations and celebrations of women to a dance performed with bicycles. Among its premieres is “Tancarville,” by the French collective Le G. Bistaki, which uses a white sheet, symbol of dreams, memory, and intimacy, to link private rituals with collective memory (July 19, 10 p.m., Alameda D. Maria II, Famalicão). Dark humor also takes the stage with the French company Marcel et Ses Drôles de Femmes, presenting a tragicomedy exploring the clash between absurdity and logic (July 19, Braga). All events are free and family‑friendly.

Tomar, Ourém, Ferreira do Zêzere and Batalha

Zêzere Arts Festival

Set among historic landmarks and dramatic river landscapes, this festival offers masterclasses, workshops, rehearsals, and collaborations with renowned composers and artists, creating a unique blend of learning and performance. Soloists, choirs, and instrumentalists, both amateur and professional, are invited to join, culminating in a rich programme of public concerts. Performances take place in breathtaking venues such as the Convento de Cristo in Tomar, Batalha and Alcobaça Monasteries, Almourol Castle, and the riverside village of Dornes. Visitors can enjoy exceptional music alongside sunshine, boating, walking, and the charms of rural central Portugal. Participants benefit from inspiring teaching, cultural exchange, and unforgettable experiences, whether singing in a Festival Choir, performing in opera productions, or taking part in chamber and orchestral concerts. The ZêzereArts Festival, running until August 3, is both a celebration of music and a memorable cultural holiday.