Miguel Torga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Miguel Torga
Miguel Torga
Born	Adolfo Correia da Rocha (1907-08-12)12 August 1907 São Martinho de Anta
Died	17 January 1995(1995-01-17) (aged 87) Coimbra
Occupation	Writer, physician
Genre	short story, poetry, novel, play, essay, diary
Literary movement	Modernism
Notable works	Bichos, Contos da Montanha, Novos Contos da Montanha
Spouse	Andrée Crabée da Rocha

Miguel Torga was the pen name of Adolfo Correia da Rocha. He was born in São Martinho de Anta, Sabrosa, Portugal, on August 12, 1907. He passed away in Coimbra on January 17, 1995. Many people consider him one of the most important Portuguese writers of the 20th century.

Miguel Torga wrote many different kinds of books. He was a master of short stories. He also wrote poetry, plays, and a very long diary. His diary had 16 volumes and he wrote it from 1932 to 1993.

Life of Miguel Torga

Miguel Torga grew up in a small village called São Martinho de Anta. This village is in the northern part of Portugal, in a region known as Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. His parents, Francisco Correia da Rocha and Maria da Conceição de Barros, were small farmers.

He briefly studied at a Catholic seminary in Lamego. In 1920, his father sent him to Brazil. There, he worked on his uncle's coffee farm. His uncle noticed that Miguel was a very smart student. So, he decided to pay for Miguel's education.

Miguel Torga came back to Portugal in 1925. He finished high school and then went to the University of Coimbra. In 1933, he graduated with a degree in Medicine. After becoming a doctor, he worked in his home village and other places in Portugal. Around this time, he also started writing and publishing his own books. In 1941, he settled in Coimbra and became a specialist doctor for ears, nose, and throat (an otolaryngologist).

He married Andrée Crabbé Rocha, who was a professor and a literary critic. They had one daughter named Clara Crabée da Rocha, who was born in Coimbra in 1955.

Miguel Torga's Books and Awards

For a short time, Miguel Torga was part of a literary group called Presença. In the 1930s, he started two cultural magazines. He was even arrested for two months, from December 1939 to February 1940. This happened after he published his book O Quarto Dia da Criação do Mundo.

His writings often showed his beliefs about the world. He wrote about the strength of people in a beautiful but sometimes difficult world. In his stories, God often seemed far away or quiet.

Miguel Torga received many important awards for his work. He won the Montaigne Prize in 1981. In 1989, he was the very first person to win the Prémio Camões. This is one of the most important literary awards for writers who write in Portuguese.

He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature many times. These nominations happened between 1959 and 1994. Many people thought he would be the first Portuguese writer to win it. (Later, José Saramago became the first Portuguese Nobel winner in 1998). Famous Brazilian writer Jorge Amado often said that Torga deserved the Nobel Prize.

Miguel Torga's Works

Prizes and Awards

• Prémio Diário de Notícias (1969)
• Prémio Internacional de Poesia (International Poetry Prize) (1977)
• Montaigne Prize (1981)
• Prémio Camões (1989)
• Prémio Vida Literária da Associação Portuguesa de Escritores (1992)
• Prémio da Crítica (Critic's Prize), for all his work (1993)

See also

In Spanish: Miguel Torga para niños

• Portuguese Poetry