Maria Judite de Carvalho

Maria Judite de Carvalho (1921–1998) is considered one of the most important female voices in 20th-century Portuguese literature. She was born and died in Lisbon, but spent a large part of her life (1944–1959) in France and Belgium. She wrote novels, short stories, novellas, chronicles, poetry and a play. With clear influences from existentialism and the New Novel, though without strictly adhering to their rules, her distinctive writing constitutes a ‘distinctive flower’, as Agustina Bessa-Luís aptly describes it, the other great lady of Portuguese literature. Her work has been honoured with the following awards: the Grande Prémio de Conto Camilo Castelo Branco, the Prémio da Crítica da Associação Portuguesa de Críticos Literários, the Prémio P.E.N. Clube Português de Novelística, and the Prémio Vergílio Ferreira. Maria Judite de Carvalho’s work has been translated into many European languages. Empty Wardrobes is her first novel to be published in Greek.