João Barreiros
Encyclopedia
João Manuel Rosado Barreiros (born July 31, 1952), also known by the pseudonym
José de Barros, is a Portuguese
science fiction
writer, editor, translator and critic.
He graduated in Philosophy
from the University of Lisbon in 1977, and has been teaching it in high school
since 1975. His experiences in education eventually led him to write a semi-autobiographical satire
titled "The Test" in 2000.
and James Tiptree, Jr
, is distinctively sardonic and shows a marked tendency towards satire and black comedy
.
His plots frequently employ unlikeable protagonist
s in dystopic
settings, where they are faced with the brutality of everyday life and are often thwarted by their own actions in the end. The stories tend to offer extremely graphic depictions of violence, and utterly reject political correctness
and its icons — Walt Disney
and Sesame Street
are frequent targets of derision by Barreiros, for example, and he has gone so far as to cast Big Bird
analogues as the principal antagonist
s in A verdadeira invasão dos marcianos.
Some of Barreiros's work has been translated into English
, Spanish
, French
, Italian
and Serbian
.
He has twice won the Brazil
ian Nova Award, offered by fans to the best foreign short story published in South America
, for "Um Dia com Júlia na Necrosfera" (in 1992) and "A Arder Caíram os Anjos" (in 1994).
, O Independente
, Ler and Os Meus Livros. The mercilessness of Barreiros's criticism earned him a reputation among Portuguese science fiction fans
, and his titanium
nib fountain pen
gained legendary status as a result.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Barreiros edited two science fiction and fantasy labels for Editora Clássica and Gradiva. Among the writers he introduced to a Portuguese audience are Iain M. Banks, William Gibson
, Peter Straub
, Dan Simmons
and A. A. Attanasio
. Publishers usually balked at Barreiros's unorthodox picks, and so books like Stephen R. Donaldson
's Lord Foul's Bane
, Nancy A. Collins
's Sunglasses After Dark and James Blaylock
's The Last Coin were translated but never published.
Barreiros also co-founded Simetria — Portuguese Science Fiction and Fantasy Association in 1995 (he later broke from it, in 1999), and the Portuguese Association for the Fantastic in the Arts in 2005.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
José de Barros, is a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer, editor, translator and critic.
He graduated in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from the University of Lisbon in 1977, and has been teaching it in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
since 1975. His experiences in education eventually led him to write a semi-autobiographical satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
titled "The Test" in 2000.
Fiction
Barreiros's writing style, influenced by that of Robert SilverbergRobert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg is an American author, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple nominee of the Hugo Award and a winner of the Nebula Award.-Early years:...
and James Tiptree, Jr
James Tiptree, Jr
James Tiptree, Jr. was the pen name of American science fiction author Alice Bradley Sheldon, used from 1967 to her death. She also occasionally wrote under the pseudonym Raccoona Sheldon...
, is distinctively sardonic and shows a marked tendency towards satire and black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
.
His plots frequently employ unlikeable protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s in dystopic
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
settings, where they are faced with the brutality of everyday life and are often thwarted by their own actions in the end. The stories tend to offer extremely graphic depictions of violence, and utterly reject political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
and its icons — Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
and Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
are frequent targets of derision by Barreiros, for example, and he has gone so far as to cast Big Bird
Big Bird
Big Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
analogues as the principal antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s in A verdadeira invasão dos marcianos.
Some of Barreiros's work has been translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
.
He has twice won the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian Nova Award, offered by fans to the best foreign short story published in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, for "Um Dia com Júlia na Necrosfera" (in 1992) and "A Arder Caíram os Anjos" (in 1994).
Miscellaneous activity
João Barreiros's book and film reviews have appeared in publications such as PúblicoPúblico
Público is a Portuguese daily national newspaper.It began publication on March 5, 1990. The newspaper is known as a publication of the French school, with extensive texts and few illustrations...
, O Independente
O Independente
O Independente was a Portuguese weekly newspaper, published on Fridays. It was founded in May 1988 by Miguel Esteves Cardoso, who became its first editor, and Paulo Portas, who succeeded him in 1990 and served until 1995, when he left to run for office as a conservative politician. Its last...
, Ler and Os Meus Livros. The mercilessness of Barreiros's criticism earned him a reputation among Portuguese science fiction fans
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
, and his titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
nib fountain pen
Fountain pen
A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
gained legendary status as a result.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Barreiros edited two science fiction and fantasy labels for Editora Clássica and Gradiva. Among the writers he introduced to a Portuguese audience are Iain M. Banks, William Gibson
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
, Peter Straub
Peter Straub
Peter Francis Straub is an American author and poet, most famous for his work in the horror genre. His horror fiction has received numerous literary honors such as the Bram Stoker Award, World Fantasy Award, and International Horror Guild Award, placing him among the most-honored horror authors in...
, Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
and A. A. Attanasio
A. A. Attanasio
Alfred Angelo Attanasio, born on September 20, 1951 in Newark, New Jersey, is an author of fantasy and science fiction. His science-fiction novel Radix was nominated for the 1981 Nebula Award for Best Novel and was followed by three other novels, the four books, together, comprising the critically...
. Publishers usually balked at Barreiros's unorthodox picks, and so books like Stephen R. Donaldson
Stephen R. Donaldson
Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, most famous for his Thomas Covenant series...
's Lord Foul's Bane
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Stephen R. Donaldson. It was followed by The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, also a trilogy, and The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, a planned tetralogy....
, Nancy A. Collins
Nancy A. Collins
Nancy A. Collins is a United States horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has alsowritten for comic books, including the Swamp Thing series, Jason Vs...
's Sunglasses After Dark and James Blaylock
James Blaylock
James Paul Blaylock is an American fantasy author.He is noted for a distinctive, humorous style, as well as being one of the pioneers of the steampunk genre of science fiction....
's The Last Coin were translated but never published.
Barreiros also co-founded Simetria — Portuguese Science Fiction and Fantasy Association in 1995 (he later broke from it, in 1999), and the Portuguese Association for the Fantastic in the Arts in 2005.
Fiction
"Uma Noite na Periferia do Império", at E-nigma- "Silent Night", at Infinity Plus
- "Synchronicity", at Fantastic Metropolis
- "The Test", at Fantastic Metropolis