Virginia de Castro e Almeida facts for kids

Virginia de Castro e Almeida (born November 24, 1874 – died January 22, 1945) was a talented writer from Portugal. She is famous for being one of the first people to write books especially for children in Portugal. She also translated important books and even directed movies, starting her own film company called Fortuna Films.

Early Life and Learning

Virginia de Castro e Almeida loved writing from a very young age, starting when she was just 8 years old. She began by creating exciting dramatic stories. Later, she decided to focus on writing books specifically for children.

Virginia's Career

Writing for Children

In 1894, Virginia started publishing her works using the pen name Gy. Her very first book under this name was called “Fada Tendora,” which means “The Tempting Fairy.” This book is seen as a very important work in Portuguese children's literature.

In 1907, a collection of her different stories was published. It was called “Biblioteca para meus Filhos,” meaning “Library for my Children.” Virginia cared a lot about helping women learn. She wrote books about managing a home, like “Como Devo Governar a Minha Casa” (“How to Run my Household”) in 1906. She also wrote about raising children, with “Como Devemos Criar e Educar os Nossos Filhos” (“How to Manage my Children’s Education”) in 1908.

Virginia also wanted to teach children about science. She published several books for this goal, starting in 1907. These included “Céu Aberto” (“Open Skies”) (1907), “Em Pleno Azul” (“Full Blue”) (1907), “Pela Terra e pelo Ar” (“For The Earth and Air”) (1911), and “As Lições de André” (“Lessons with André”) (1913).

Sharing Portuguese Stories

In 1918, Virginia moved to France and then to Switzerland. She worked to share and promote Portuguese literature with the world. She did this by translating the works of important historical and literary figures. These included famous writers like João de Barros, Garcia de Resende, and Camões.

She also translated historical topics about Portuguese explorers like Henry the Navigator. Other translated works included writings by Marcus Aurelius, Cervantes, Charles Dickens, and George Sand. She continued this work through the late 1930s and early 1940s.

During this time, Virginia realized even more how useful science concepts were in children's books. To encourage a love for history, she wrote a series of books. These included titles like “História de Dona Redonda e da sua Gente” (“The History of Dona Redonda and her People”) (1942) and “de Aventuras de Dona Redonda” (“The Adventures of Dona Redonda”) (1943).

Working in Government

While living in Switzerland, Virginia de Almeida worked for the League of Nations. This was an international organization that aimed to promote peace and cooperation between countries. She worked there under the Portuguese government in Geneva.

She also wrote books about the historical and political values of the "New State" of Portugal. This was a new government system that was developing at the time. She did this while working for the Secretariat of National Propaganda.

Making Movies

In 1922, Virginia started her own film company called Fortuna Films. She became a film producer because she loved movies so much. The main office for Fortuna Films was in Virginia's own house in Paris. There was also a Portuguese office in Lisbon.

Virginia hired a well-known film director named pt:Roger Lion. Her company produced only two films. She explained why she started her own film company: "Portuguese films until now are not perfect. Sometimes the action drags, it was boring for people that were used to seeing beauty and art, listening to music made specifically for what they were seeing."

Films by Fortuna Films

• A Sereia de Pedra (1923): This film tells the story of a blacksmith in Tomar, Portugal, who is good friends with a bullfighter.
• Olhos da Alma (1924): This movie is set in Nazaré. It shows the differences between two groups of people: the wealthy boat owners and the hardworking fishermen.

Other Achievements

In 1920, Virginia de Castro e Almeida created a special prize. This award would give 5 million francs to the best film made in France that year.

Later Life and Death

Virginia de Castro e Almeida passed away on January 22, 1945, in Lisbon, Portugal.

Filmography

List of Published Works

See also

In Spanish: Virginia de Castro e Almeida para niños