O autorretrato possível de Ruy Belo

The Portuguese poet Ruy Belo wrote most of his work during the long dictatorship called Estado Novo. This work undertakes a profound existential quest impregnated with disenchantment regarding the Portuguese political and social reality, in which censorship affects individual conscience. It is outside of Portugal that Belo writes, before the end of the dictatorship, the poem “Self-portrait”, only published after his death. Relating this text with “Nota do autor” from País Possível , this essay highlights the relevance of “Auto-retrato” in Belo’s poetic work, since the poem brings together fundamental topics of his production.