November 30, 1998

Contact:
Press Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189

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PORTUGUESE AUTHOR TO READ

Portuguese author José Riço Direitinho will read from his work on Monday, Dec. 7, at 6:45 p.m. in the Mumford Room, Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE. The reading, sponsored by the Library of Congress and the Embassy of Portugal, is one in a series of "Encounters with European Writers" initiated by the member states of the European Union and the European Commission in Washington, DC.

Mr. Direitinho was born in Lisbon in 1965. His first book, a collection of short stories, Casa do Fim, appeared in 1992, followed by the novel Breviário das Más Inclinações in 1994. His second novel, O Relógio do Cárcere, was launched during the Franklin Book Fair in 1997. His books have been in the list of nominees of Lisbon's main literature prizes, such as the one given by the Portuguese Writers Society and the Eça de Queirós Prize. In 1998, he received the prize "Literature and University" at Oporto University.

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PR 98-192
11/30/98
ISSN 0731-3527