The International Congress ‘Camilo Castelo Branco, 200 years later’ is one of the highlights of the celebrations for the bicentenary of the writer's birth and will bring together dozens of national and international experts at the Camillian Studies Centre in Seide, the main centre for research and preservation of the Portuguese novelist's work and legacy.
The congress will take place on 14, 15 and 16 March and registration is open on the official Casa de Camilo website (www.camilocastelobranco.org).
There will be 22 talks by renowned researchers from Portuguese universities and countries such as Brazil, the United States of America, Romania and the United Kingdom, who will come to Famalicão to reappraise Camilo's vast legacy and the important value of the work of this great 19th century Portuguese writer.
The opening session is scheduled for the morning of 14 March and will be attended by the mayor of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Mário Passos, the president of the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDRN), António Cunha, and the Minister of Culture, Dalila Rodrigues.
In addition to the conferences, which include panel discussions with the speakers, there will be cultural events after the closing ceremony on 14 and 15 of March. On the first day, there will be a musical evening by the Divisi Quartet, which will present arrangements and transcriptions of Camilo Castelo Branco's works, starting at 21h30. On the second day, at the same time, there will be a guided tour of Casa de Camilo, with a musical performance in Casa dos Caseiros by Cristina Petrescu.
On the third and final day of the congress, participation in the planned activities is optional and requires prior registration. There will be a guided tour of the permanent exhibition ‘Literary Tower - Praise and Simplification of Portuguese Literature’ at the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation in Vila Nova de Famalicão, with a limit of 60 participants, followed by lunch with a Camillian menu, for congress participants who want to try the famous recipe for Galinha Mourisca.
On 14 and 15 March, there will also be a Camillian Editions Fair at the congress venue.
The Vila Nova de Famalicão Schools Association Training Centre (CFAEVNF) as a 20-hour training course accredits the International Congress ‘Camilo Castelo Branco, 200 years later’ for teachers of specific groups. Those interested should register (compulsory) via the official Casa de Camilo website or the Training Centre (https://www.cfaevnf.pt/course/3937).
The Vila Nova de Famalicão City Council is marking the bicentenary of Camilo Castelo Branco's birth throughout 2025 with numerous initiatives - exhibitions, theatre, cinema, music and literary publications - aimed at preserving and passing on his legacy and attracting new readers to his works.
Also noteworthy is the Camilo Castelo Branco Literary Prize, which is open for applications until 16 March, with a cash prize of 7500 euros, which will be awarded to the best literary work, written in Portuguese by authors from the Portuguese-speaking world. The prize regulations can be consulted at www.famalicao.pt/premio-literario-camilo-castelo-branco.
