The unpublished poem “Em Vogais”, by the Mozambican poet Gibson João, is one of the winners of the 17th edition of the José Luís Peixoto Literary Prize, awarded annually by the municipality of Ponte de Sor, in Portugal.
With this achievement, Gibson João takes home a cash prize of one thousand euros (more than 69 thousand meticais). His work will also be published in Portugal and the author will be entitled to 50 copies of it. The municipality of Ponte de Sor also reserves the right to produce audiovisual pieces based on his texts.
The José Luís Peixoto Literary Prize is open to Portuguese-speaking writers and was created to pay tribute to the Portuguese writer of the same name, who is a native of that municipality. It aims to encourage literary creativity among young people, as well as to promote a taste for writing, an activity essential for intellectual development.
This is the second prize won by Gibson João, who is a native of the province of Inhambane. In 2023, he shared with Óscar Fanheiro the Fernando Leite Couto Literary Prize, awarded by the foundation of the same name. He won the award with “[Da casa]: o seu litoral murmuro”, which allowed him, in addition to the money, to participate in a one-month literary residency in the city of Óbidos, in Portugal, where he was also part of the program of the Óbidos International Literary Festival, Folio 2023.
(By MozaVibe)
