Walter turned the barque round in the direction of Quarteira. Maria Ema leaned forward and breathed in the sea air, breathed in the perfume of her brother-in-law Walter. We were all deaf and blind. Sometimes, they were the only two who did not get out to watch the waves breaking and licking our shoes and socks with tongues of foam. They remained in their seats, sitting very upright, in full view of everyone, not moving, not looking at each other. Still, utterly still, like paralyzed birds.

My journey with this novel is a fortuitous one. From my research about Portuguese women authors, I was determined to read Lídia Jorge, specifically “The Migrant Painter of Birds”. Having no luck finding it in local bookstores or online services, I stopped the search and postponed Portugal for future years.  Nonetheless, luck had a different path. This past December, strolling through the tiny cobblestone streets of Paraty, Brazil, my husband took a wrong turn and entered the most beautiful bookstore, Livraria das Mares. And right there, as the featured book of the English section of Portuguese literature, one copy of “The Migrant Painter of Birds” – I had to get it then and there.

The story is about the decadence of the Dias family in the Algarve region in Portugal circa 1958. It starts with the remembrance of the house’s particular sounds from the time when the entire family use to live there. The footsteps of each family member, recognizable by the sound of the wood floors cracking, and the swift long strides of Walter Dias sneaking in during midnight to visit his niece or his daughter. The novel starts when only Custodio -the underdog son-, his parents, wife and children live in the house, having tranquil, borderline boring lives. Everyone else; brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law and other grandchildren, have the left house years before in search of wealth in other countries.

Jorge tells the story through the voice of Walter’s niece as she remembers events from her past and her present. The storyline fluctuates from past to present to future to the drawings of birds Walter draws in every letter he writes, that she keeps. She has a secret she wants to share, but she’s not sure how to unfold it, so she uses her memories of Walter and his interactions with the family. Walter is never here or there, never really present, and yet he is the main character of the novel, the entire story revolves around him. Using tales from other characters, letters written between family members and a short-lived summer in Algarve, Jorge is able to tell a story of one person from multiple points of view that are filtered through Walter’s niece. As a reader, I had mixed love-hate feelings about Walter. I appreciated his sensible side when drawing birds or serving his country, but annoyed by his lightness of way of living and disregard for women.

The novel’s structure is a spiral, as it progresses we revisit the same event, each time from different angles and with more information. Eventually, it reaches the point where Walter’s niece knows everything she wants to know and her need for searching for him ends abruptly. I finished the novel with many questions, if someone out there has read it, I would love to discuss it.

About Lídia Jorge

Lídia Jorge was born in 1946 in the Algarve region in Portugal and lived critical years in Mozambique and Angola. She is consider one of the most important voices of modern Portuguese literature. “The Migrant Painter of Birds,” whose original title in Portuguese translates to “The Valley of Passion,” won multiple awards including best fiction from the PEN Portuguese Club.

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Capazes’ main goal is to create and spread information about gender equality in Portugal, women’s empowerment and women’s right. They strive to spark change through partnerships with public and private education institutions that work together with universities, government, and other relevant stakeholders to create awareness. Additionally, they promote networks of women entrepreneurs and activists, and give space in their website through events for these voices to be heard. Finally, they work together with the public sector to propose gender-equal public policies in order to have a better society for girls and women.