The cause of things
1986. Sold out in other bookstores.
“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.”
The ‘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.
Miguel Esteves Cardoso (b. 1955) is 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 The Cause of Things, My Problems and Love is Fucked — has evolved over the decades into a more intimate and refined style of writing, in which reflection on love and time takes centre stage.
