{"title":"Miguel Esteves Cardoso","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955)\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eis a writer, columnist and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. Trained in Economics, with a long career in journalism and communication, he became known for his singular voice, able to combine humour, lucidity and a precise observation of everyday life. His work, which includes books such as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"1546\" data-start=\"1526\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"1567\" data-start=\"1548\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"1587\" data-start=\"1570\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, has evolved over the decades into a more intimate and pared-back writing, where reflection on love and time takes centre stage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"as-minhas-aventuras-na-republica-portuguesa","title":"My adventures in the Portuguese Republic","description":"\u003carticle class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-(--header-height)\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"438b61e6-7b35-48c3-8ccb-e23caad5552b\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-1\" data-scroll-anchor=\"false\" data-turn=\"user\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\u003c\/article\u003e\n\u003carticle class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:a9ca2421-e477-4927-b02f-c43006c2d515-1\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-4\" data-scroll-anchor=\"false\" data-turn=\"assistant\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] thread-sm:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] thread-lg:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] thread-lg:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"0f456f93-0bd3-4146-be6d-2abec1d9b398\" dir=\"auto\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-1\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[1px]\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words dark markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"1015\"\u003e2006. Out of print in other bookstores.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"1015\"\u003eThe experience of the author, Miguel Esteves Cardoso, during the years that followed April 25, 1974, the Carnation Revolution, which overthrew the Estado Novo dictatorship in Portugal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"1015\"\u003eThe book combines personal memories with a critical analysis of post-revolutionary Portuguese society. A satirical and detached view of the political and cultural changes the country was undergoing. Cardoso writes about his experience of the nascent democracy, the illusions and disillusionments of the new Republic, and the clashes of everyday life with a keen eye for the most contradictory aspects of Portuguese society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"1015\"\u003eWith humor, irony, and a good dose of sarcasm, the author manages to uniquely illustrate the complexities of a country in the midst of a profound transformation, while examining the dilemmas and perplexities of the individual in the face of major historical changes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"1015\"\u003eUnmissable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp data-start=\"1017\" data-end=\"1839\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and a prominent figure in Portuguese culture since the 1980s. He studied Economics, translated, wrote for various newspapers and magazines, and authored some of the most influential columns in the Portuguese press. His body of work, which includes books such as \u003cem data-end=\"1404\" data-start=\"1387\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-end=\"1426\" data-start=\"1406\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-end=\"1474\" data-start=\"1429\"\u003eAs Minhas Aventuras na República Portuguesa\u003c\/em\u003e, combines humor, sensitivity, and a remarkable capacity for observation. In recent years, his writing has become more refined. One of the great columnists of the present day.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003c\/article\u003e","brand":"Assírio e Alvim","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52137404694794,"sku":"2026-MDT-VST-22","price":20.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/asminhasaventurasnarepublicaportuguesa.jpg?v=1763463548"},{"product_id":"ultimo-volume","title":"Last volume","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"1092\" data-start=\"0\"\u003e2001. Out of print at other bookstores.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1092\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eA book that brings together short texts, chronicles, and reflections revealing the literary and emotional maturity of one of the most singular authors in contemporary Portuguese writing. The apparent lightness of the format—short texts, often inspired by observations of everyday life—conceals a rare, almost surgical precision in the way the author contemplates love, time, friendship, and loss. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1092\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eMEC writes with the simplicity of a highly attentive gaze that filters the world in search of what is essential. The tone is intimate without being obvious. Small mirrors in which every reader has the opportunity to recognize a particular form of melancholy or joy, with disarming honesty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1092\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eThis is a book about everyday life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-is-only-node=\"\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-end=\"1706\" data-start=\"1094\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and a prominent figure in Portuguese culture since the 1980s. He studied Economics, translated, wrote for various newspapers and magazines, and penned some of the most influential chronicles in the Portuguese press. His body of work, which includes books such as \u003cem data-start=\"1387\" data-end=\"1404\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1406\" data-end=\"1426\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"1429\" data-end=\"1474\"\u003eAs Minhas Aventuras na República Portuguesa\u003c\/em\u003e, combines humor, sensitivity, and a remarkable capacity for observation. In recent years, his writing has become more refined. One of the great chroniclers of the present day.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Assírio e Alvim","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52137463054602,"sku":"2026-MDT-VST-21","price":20.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/Ultimovolume.jpg?v=1763465235"},{"product_id":"a-vida-inteira","title":"A whole life","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"667\" data-start=\"63\"\u003eA serene, luminous and deeply human celebration of love and everyday life. Chronicles in which the author transforms the simple domestic gesture, the banal object, the shared silence, into a space of revelation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\" data-end=\"667\" data-start=\"63\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"There is nothing that happens to me that does not become better by happening with you.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"667\" data-start=\"63\"\u003eFar from the irony of his early years, he writes with an adult tenderness, an absolute attention to the fragility of time lived together. A way of thanking the persistence of life in common.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"What I want is to praise pure love. \u003cbr\u003eIt seems to me that no one falls in love anymore. \u003cbr\u003eNo one wants to live an impossible love anymore. \u003cbr\u003eNo one accepts loving without a reason anymore.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist and a striking figure in Portuguese culture since the 1980s. He studied Economics, translated, wrote for various newspapers and magazines, and signed some of the most influential chronicles in the Portuguese press. His work, which includes books such as \u003cem data-end=\"1404\" data-start=\"1387\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-end=\"1426\" data-start=\"1406\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-end=\"1474\" data-start=\"1429\"\u003eAs Minhas Aventuras na República Portuguesa\u003c\/em\u003e, combines humor, sensitivity and a remarkable capacity for observation. In recent years, his writing has become more refined. One of the great chroniclers of the present day.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Assírio e Alvim","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52139598479626,"sku":"2026-MDT-VST-19","price":20.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/Avidainteira.jpg?v=1763487057"},{"product_id":"o-amor-e-fodido","title":"Love is fucked","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"62\" data-end=\"583\"\u003eDisassembling, with precision, the contradictions of modern love. Brief narratives and reflections that expose the wild, imperfect, and deeply human side of desire. Love as failure, impulse, delusion, sudden joy, destruction, and salvation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"585\" data-end=\"1210\"\u003eSharp, intimate language. Dark, tender humor. That which makes us ridiculous when we love ]and that which makes us noble when we are able to keep loving.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"585\" data-end=\"1210\" style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e«Love is fucked because, when it's serious, it never leaves us whole.» \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"585\" data-end=\"1210\"\u003eTo love is always to lose something.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"585\" data-end=\"1210\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eis a writer, columnist, and a striking figure in Portuguese culture since the 1980s. He studied Economics, translated, wrote for various newspapers and magazines, and penned some of the most influential columns in the Portuguese press. His work, which includes books such as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"1404\" data-start=\"1387\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"1426\" data-start=\"1406\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"1474\" data-start=\"1429\"\u003eAs Minhas Aventuras na República Portuguesa\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, combines humor, sensitivity, and a remarkable capacity for observation. In recent years, his writing has become more refined. One of the great columnists of the present day.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Assírio e Alvim","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52139813339402,"sku":"2026-MDT-VST-18","price":20.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/Oamorefodido.jpg?v=1763488616"},{"product_id":"a-minha-andorinha","title":"My swallow","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"802\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThere is nothing worse than a spontaneous gathering of the common folk. They flock together in this country. It is to see who has died or to beat a wretch who has killed the children and the chickens. It is to play cards or to buy fake Lacoste shirts that, instead of a crocodile, feature a Berlengas sardine. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"802\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt the slightest excuse, the common folk, who are bored and long for distraction, gather together. It should be banned, except at fairs and pilgrimages. If we are going this far, fairs and pilgrimages should also be banned, because it has already been shown that they encourage contact between people. […]\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"802\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut let us not ramble, because there is much to be trimmed. For example, those beggars who, instead of orally presenting their appeal, in the traditional style, produce an extensive, self-pitying text, written in illegible Portuguese, saying that they have been better and that they are practically as good as they are going to get. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"802\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThose ladies who know the names of all the cakes and make a show of it. Instead of pointing with their finger to the shop window, like ordinary mortals who have more important things to do, they begin to recite their Masonic spells.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"802\" style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"A Jesuit, a daisy, a charleston, a six-nozzle lathe, a berimbau, a gonzaguinha, and two custard tarts.\" Miguel Esteves Cardoso\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1186\" data-end=\"1723\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communications, he became known for his singular voice, capable of combining humor, lucidity, and a precise observation of everyday life. His work — which includes books such as \u003cem data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1546\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1548\" data-end=\"1567\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1587\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e — has evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined writing style, in which reflection on love and time takes center stage.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Assírio e Alvim","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52174987559178,"sku":"2026-MDT-VST-2","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/image_69733a93-4644-4670-8953-2511b9e40c8e.jpg?v=1764079906"},{"product_id":"a-causa-da-coisas","title":"The cause of things","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"There is a Portuguese institution that is unique in the whole world. It is the 'by the way'. In other cultures, it would be a pleonasm. In ours, it is part of the bewilderment.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 'by the way', and the popular variant \"Since you're already getting your hands dirty...\", mean the particularly Portuguese way of wanting things. The Portuguese do not like to say that they want things. Among us, wanting is considered an act of violence. Therefore, when you arrive at a café, you say that you wanted an espresso and never that you want an espresso. If someone also offers you a spirit, you say: \"By the way...\". Everything happens in the past tense, in the conditional, in coincidence.»\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communication, he became known for his unique voice, capable of combining humor, lucidity, and a precise observation of everyday life. His work — which includes books such as \u003cem data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1546\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1548\" data-end=\"1567\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1587\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e — has evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined writing, where reflection on love and time takes center stage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189181018378,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-252","price":18.8,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/A_causa_das_coisas.jpg?v=1763978309"},{"product_id":"amores-e-saudades-de-um-portugues-arreliado","title":"Loves and longings of a homesick Portuguese man","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Miguel describes what, at a cursory glance, seems as though everyone else has already described. The thing is, no one has done it like he has. That is the talent of someone with a great deal of talent: we have already seen ourselves in that situation, already heard someone speak in that way, already felt that kind of indignation about something or other, but it is only when we read the words of someone who knows how to write very well, like Miguel, that we are able to complete our thoughts. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is as if he were closing the gate on that subject, so that we might tire ourselves out with another. For someone has finally managed to express what we have always felt but never been able to explain. He managed to make the phrase so concise that it became exactly what was required of it. It had always been before our eyes, within arm’s reach, but he alone managed to grasp it, and had the generosity to put it in writing to show it to us and unsettle us. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd, in doing so, he had the delicacy never to want to shine more brightly than the thought itself had to say. That is the most effective of weapons in the target practice that is writing. And it is also the most difficult.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communications, he became known for his singular voice, capable of combining humour, lucidity, and a precise observation of everyday life. His body of work—which includes books such as \u003cem data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1546\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1548\" data-end=\"1567\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1587\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e—has evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined style of writing, in which reflections on love and time take centre stage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189405774090,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-251","price":12.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/Amores_e_saudades_de_um_portugus_arreliado.jpg?v=1763978308"},{"product_id":"as-melhores-cronicas-de-amor","title":"The best love stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso wrote in one of the texts that make up this book that it is commonly said that there is no love like the first. There are greater loves, better loves, loves more thoughtfully considered and passionately lived. There are more lasting loves (almost all of them), but there is no love like the first. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor MEC, it is the first love that is the only one that breaks the heart and leaves it broken. There are better loves, but they are tired loves, loves that have already been knocked around, loves that know how to say \"enough is enough\", loves that already make concessions, loves that are afraid of getting hurt, democratic loves that are discussed and debated. All of them give greater pleasure than the first.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is in these chronicles about first loves, passions, romances, jealousies, marriages, compliments, sadness, hatred, soulmates, or simply about love - especially because, for MEC, everything good that has been said about love needs to be said again - that we find many of the most memorable pages - of those that are sent to the people we love - by one of the greatest writers in the Portuguese language.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communications, he became known for his singular voice, capable of combining humor, lucidity, and a precise observation of everyday life. His work - which includes books such as \u003cem data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1546\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1548\" data-end=\"1567\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1587\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e - evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined writing style, where reflection on love and time takes center stage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189421535498,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-250","price":16.6,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/As_melhores_cronicas_de_amor.jpg?v=1763978308"},{"product_id":"as-100-melhores-cronicas","title":"The 100 Best Columns","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"wells\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"right-text\" id=\"productPageSectionAboutBook-sinopse\"\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso has published more than 13,000 chronicles. These are some of those that have been photocopied and pasted into notebooks or wardrobes more than any others, the ones that have prompted the most phone calls, arguments, romances and even marriages, the ones that have been sent by email and shared on social media time and again, because they have made us laugh or cry—because, in reading them, we have felt, as only MEC can make us feel, that “this is exactly it.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor four decades, MEC has been writing about himself and about all of us, about what Portugal is or could be, putting to paper both what would never occur to us and what we feel but would be unable to express as well as he does, our finest chronicler and the country’s first influencer, even before the term “influencer” was ever used.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn these pages are our feelings, from anguish to love, from astonishment to nostalgia; there is a universe of its own, full of ideas, enthusiasms, certainties, anxieties, ambiguities and even contradictions (in the end, a universe like each one of ours), but there is also, and above all, the talent, intelligence and humour of one of the greatest writers the Portuguese language has ever known.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"wells\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wells\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"right-text\" id=\"productPageSectionPressCriticism-comment\"\u003e“MEC is an erudite writer who exercises his intellect with the most brilliant humour. Like a genius who knows how to laugh.” \u003ci\u003eValter Hugo Mãe\u003c\/i\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"right-text\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"right-text\"\u003e“MEC managed, in an art that is born to be ephemeral—after all, no one laughs at the same joke twice—to maintain his wit even when the surprise had already worn off. Now that a new selection has been published, The 100 Best Chronicles (by Bertrand, which is also reissuing Como é Linda a Puta da Vida and O Amor é Fodido), it is possible to prove it. MEC is an extraordinary writer who managed, without engaging in ideological skirmishes, to turn a doctrine into a style and an argument into a demonstration.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCarlos Maria Bobone, Observador\u003c\/i\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"right-text\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"right-text\" id=\"productPageSectionPressCriticism-authorName\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955)\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eis a writer, chronicler and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in economics and a long career in journalism and communications, he became known for his singular voice, capable of combining humour, lucidity and a precise observation of everyday life. His work—which includes books such as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1546\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"1548\" data-end=\"1567\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1587\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— has evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined style of writing, in which reflection on love and time takes centre stage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189457744138,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-249","price":18.8,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/As_100_melhores_cronicas.jpg?v=1763978308"},{"product_id":"como-e-linda-a-puta-da-vida","title":"How beautiful is this bitch of a life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“These chronicles of yours had already passed through my life when they appeared in the newspapers, and even more so when they were collected. Returning to them means starting by returning to your story with Maria João. The first page of this book, as you well know, is the work of a master, and not even a hint of waning in its impetus or genius can be found. It is a perfect page that condenses everything that defines you: a fierce grace even in the face of what silences us. A disconcerting thought because it is sincere, in all the splendour of fury and vulnerability, as every word should be written when one wants to write Literature. It is not with trivial things that you command attention. You have always been occupied with a disarming critique of the commonplace. You invariably followed the path of the most genuine wound, without fear of speaking out. Your only fear was that there might be no way out. In short, you never lacked courage.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI have marvelled at you a thousand times. I was a thousand times more motivated in the face of so many hardships because I read you. A thousand times I chose not to die because you made it worth taking one more risk in love and offering one more smile. I am so comfortable saying this. You owe me nothing, you expect nothing from me. (…) And I never expected anything from you but a new book, a new chronicle, perhaps a return to the directorship of a magazine? (…) You have been incredibly more important to a thousand boys and girls like me than you imagine. You are incredibly more important than you imagine.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrom the preface by Valter Hugo Mãe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communications, he became known for his singular voice, capable of combining humour, lucidity, and a precise observation of everyday life. His work—which includes books such as A Causa das Coisas, Os Meus Problemas and O Amor é Fodido—has evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined style, in which reflection on love and time takes centre stage.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189466820874,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-248","price":17.7,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/Como_e_linda_a_puta_da_vida.jpg?v=1763978308"},{"product_id":"o-amor-e-fodido-1","title":"Love is fucked","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The jolt begins with the title. Even the least experienced reader suspects that, although writers of all times and places have devoted themselves to trying to define love, it is perhaps unlikely that anyone has ever chosen to end a sentence begun with the expression “love is” with the word “fucked.” Love usually has, despite everything, a good press—which, come to think of it, is incomprehensible. To say that love is fucked is, finally, to treat it as it deserves. It is to summarize, for those who do not want to waste time with erudite euphemisms, the etymology of the word passion.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut perhaps O Amor É Fodido is less a story than a thesis. A suggestion about a way of speaking. A hypothesis about the way of dealing, both literarily and otherwise, with love. A proposal that questions whether it is appropriate to describe a terrifying disease with meter and rhyme and that therefore proposes a kind of anti-lyricism. Or, perhaps more precisely, an anti-lyrical lyricism. According to this thesis, to say that love is a fire that burns unseen is what is obscene. Noting that it is fucked is mere innocence.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the preface by Ricardo Araújo Pereira\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communications, he became known for his singular voice, capable of uniting humor, lucidity, and a precise observation of everyday life. His work—which includes books such as \u003cem data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1546\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1548\" data-end=\"1567\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1587\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e—has evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined writing, where reflection on love and time takes center stage.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189479436554,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-247","price":16.6,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/O_amor_e_fodido.jpg?v=1763978308"},{"product_id":"cartas-para-vila-berta","title":"Letters to Vila Berta","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor four years, MEC wrote to his friend Carlos Vilela from England almost every day. But Carlos never replied. There were dozens of letters from Miguel to Carlos, who lived in Vila Berta, in Lisbon, and none from Carlos to Miguel, exiled in Manchester. But MEC, then as today, never stopped writing, because he always knew that was his destiny. And much of what he would later be recognized for was already in the letters that make up this book and remained unpublished for almost half a century.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn these pages, which could represent the first volume of Miguel Esteves Cardoso's autobiography, the author confesses the unconfessable, as is only done among friends, beyond exercising the thought, rhetoric and eccentricity that, as we see here, always distinguished him. In Cartas para a Vila Berta are the obsession with frivolity, youthful cruelty towards the misery of others, the taste for being discriminatory, controversial political opinions, from Salazar to Mussolini, the beginning of collaboration with newspapers, an interview with Leonard Cohen, a trip to Scotland, the contempt for almost all Portuguese authors, the terror regarding a possible paternity with an Irish lady, the taste for spending money, for alcohol and amphetamines, the marriage with the mother of his daughters and the birth of an irrepressible passion for Portugal, among many other themes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStriving to attend classes and fighting to, at 21 years old, organize his complete poetry, the result of the selection of the best poems from eleven books (to date, all unpublished), Cartas para a Vila Berta can also be read as a brilliant coming-of-age novel about a young man's obsession with another. Marked by great formal freedom, and written in the form of a diary, in it we follow the young Miguel Cardoso, his anguish and confessions, as well as an enormous desire for return and revenge.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communication, he became known for his singular voice, capable of uniting humor, lucidity and a precise observation of everyday life. His work - which includes books such as \u003cem data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1546\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1548\" data-end=\"1567\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1587\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e - evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined writing, where reflection on love and time takes a central place.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189485203722,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-246","price":18.8,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/Cartas_para_a_vila_Berta.jpg?v=1763978308"},{"product_id":"os-meus-problemas","title":"My problems","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e«The chronicles collected here are so extraordinary that it is difficult to choose the best. I read Os Meus Problemas from cover to cover, eventually naming eighteen. After several readings, I managed to award the prize to «A felicidade». The reasons that led me to this choice are varied, but I believe the decisive factor was discovering that there was someone in my homeland with enough audacity to declare himself happy. The Portuguese people of whom Miguel writes about are analysed with tenderness, which requires a different kind of prose from that used by the Portuguese intellectuals obsessed with the question of national identity. He never had to live inside a labyrinth of saudade, he was not forced to fear existing, nor did he give in to self-flagellation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt one point, Miguel managed to escape the fate of a university professor to settle for the less prestigious profession of journalist. It was a wise choice. In the newspapers, the division between the pre-MEC and post-MEC era is now clear. On the other hand, what he writes survives the test of time, which must be linked to the fact that he was never interested in the political situation. What fascinates him is everyday life.»\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the preface by Maria Filomena Mónica\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, chronicler and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communications, he became known for his singular voice, capable of combining humour, lucidity and a precise observation of everyday life. His work - which includes books such as \u003cem data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1546\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1548\" data-end=\"1567\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1587\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e - evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined writing style, where reflection on love and time takes centre stage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189488611594,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-245","price":17.7,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/Os_meus_problemas.jpg?v=1763978308"},{"product_id":"como-escrever","title":"How to write","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Throughout my life, the thing I have been asked most is:\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I want to write too. How do I go about it?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI have tried to answer in many different ways, but there is never enough time to explain.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA book was needed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is that book.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communications, he became known for his distinctive voice, capable of combining humour, insight and a keen observation of everyday life. His body of work—which includes books such as \u003cem data-start=\"1526\" data-end=\"1546\"\u003eA Causa das Coisas\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1548\" data-end=\"1567\"\u003eOs Meus Problemas\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"1570\" data-end=\"1587\"\u003eO Amor é Fodido\u003c\/em\u003e—has evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined style, in which reflections on love and time take centre stage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189493199114,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-244","price":17.7,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/Como_escrever.jpg?v=1763978309"},{"product_id":"independente-demente","title":"Independent but mentally unstable","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe chronicles of O Independente never published in book form. With a preface by Paulo Portas and an afterword by MEC.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHow have the ideas put forward by MEC more than 30 years ago, in his highly anticipated chronicles in the weekly newspaper O Independente, survived? The author is now nearing 70, but at that time, he predicted that, due to time lost, he would reach 60 having only lived 30. And, although he was already making predictions and promises, he also already said that what mattered to him were restaurants and love.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat did MEC say, in 1989, about the fatwa decreed by Ayatollah Khomeini against Salman Rushdie? And what was the letter he dedicated to Álvaro Cunhal like, two years later, which begins with “My dear comrade” and ends with “a hug, from your admirer and friend Miguel”? Did he know that, in that same year of 1991, “the year of depression,” Miguel Esteves Cardoso dreamed of Paco Bandeira’s imprisonment, 21 years before he was convicted of domestic violence? And what does he know about geography? Did he know that Belize is the land of Álvaro Size? Or Burundi, the land of imundi? Or even that Switzerland is the country of feijoca and chouriça? And what does he know about international porn-toponymy? Find out all this, as well as MEC’s 101 promises for the year 1992, in this Independente Demente.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bertrand Editora","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52189496574218,"sku":"2026-MDT-LVR-243","price":18.8,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0735\/2729\/6266\/files\/Independentemente.jpg?v=1763978310"},{"product_id":"escritica-pop","title":"Pop Script","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor the first time, the complete edition of one of Miguel Esteves Cardoso's most iconic works, with two books in one: Escrítica Pop and O Ovo e o Novo. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I advise readers to read one of the texts in the book: \"How to Be a Rock Critic - A Practical Guide\", published in 1981 in Música \u0026amp; Som magazine.  It is delightful, even now, to read it and imagine the face of many of those who at the time wrote about music and to think, even, how what is written there remains so true even today, not only in music, but also in many other things. Another unmissable text, before we are swept away in the following pages into the vortex of the 80s, is \"The Black Book of Pop Music: The Worst of the '70s\". \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSpeaking of the 70s, this new edition of Escrítica Pop rediscovers a little-known text by Miguel Esteves Cardoso, which is truly one of the best music guides I know: \"O Ovo e O Novo - (A) Discography of a Decade of Rock, 1970-1980\".» From the preface by Manuel Falcão\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communication, he became known for his unique voice, capable of combining humor, lucidity, and a precise observation of everyday life. 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Sold out in other bookstores.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“There is a Portuguese institution that is unique in the entire world. It is the ‘while we’re at it’. In other cultures, it would be a pleonasm. In ours, it is part of the bewilderment.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe ‘while we’re at it’, and the popular variant “Since you’ve got your hand in the dough…”, signify the particularly Portuguese way of wanting things. The Portuguese do not like to say that they want things. Among us, wanting is considered an act of violence. That is why, when you go into a café, you say that you would like an espresso, never that you want an espresso. If someone also offers you a shot of aguardente, you say: “While we’re at it…”. Everything is expressed in the past tense, in the conditional, in the coincidental.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMiguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer, columnist, and an influential figure in contemporary Portuguese culture. With a background in Economics and a long career in journalism and communications, he became known for his singular voice, capable of combining humour, lucidity, and a precise observation of everyday life. 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