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    Writing from the margins: the CrĂłnicas of Ilse Losa

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    Esta tese examina as crónicas coligidas e não-coligidas da autora portuguesa de origens judia alemãs, Ilse Losa (1913-2006). Abrangendo um período de cinco décadas, de 1948 até aos primeiros anos da década de 1990, as crónicas refletem não só a trajetória pessoal de integração de Losa, mas também o contexto sociopolítico português enquanto este sofreu as transformações profundas da segunda metade do século vinte. Tal como Losa, que, como autora (mulher) de origens estrangeiras, representa para a sociedade e cultura portuguesas uma identidade marginal a vários níveis, a crónica, como género que se localiza entre diferentes e aparentemente contrastantes campos discursivos (como os da literatura, da história e do jornalismo) tende a ser subvalorizada nos estudos literários portugueses. Como resultado, este aspecto específico da obra da autora representa uma área da literatura portuguesa que, até ao momento, tem sido duplamente negligenciado pela academia. A tese dedica minuciosa atenção aos três volumes de crónicas losianas – Ida e Volta: À Procura de Babbitt (1960), Estas Searas (1984) e À Flor do Tempo (1997); também explora arquivos que contêm textos que Losa publicava regularmente em revistas e jornais mas que ainda não se encontram em coleções editadas. O resultante retrato de “Ilse Losa, cronista” que se revela é o de alguém que estava profunda, consistente e atrevidamente comprometida com questões de justiça social, frequentemente contornando com destreza a censura do Estado Novo para conseguir expressar as suas opiniões progressistas e portanto polémicas. Ao combinar dados quantitativos e qualitativos do arquivo da família Losa com os de quatro estudos de caso (Vértice, Seara Nova, Diário de Lisboa e Público), a tese, além de desenvolver uma impressão mais nítida da crónica losiana ao longo das cinco décadas da sua produção, incorpora uma discussão e ilustração prática da importância de uma abordagem transparente ao trabalho de arquivo.This thesis examines the collated and uncollated crónicas of Jewish-German-born author of Portuguese literature, Ilse Losa (1913-2006). Spanning a period of five decades, from 1948 to the early 1990s, the crónicas reflect not only Losa’s personal trajectory of increasing integration in Portuguese society, but also the Portuguese socio-political context as this underwent radical transformation throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. Just as Losa herself, who, as a foreign-born, female writer, represents a multiply marginal figure in Portuguese society and culture, the crónica, as a genre which sits between different, apparently distinct discursive fields (such as those of literature and history, or literature and journalism) has tended to be undervalued within Portuguese literary studies. As such, this particular aspect of this particular author’s oeuvre represents an area of Portuguese literature which, so far, has been doubly neglected by scholars. The thesis gives thorough attention to the three published volumes containing Losian crónicas – Ida e Volta: À Procura de Babbitt (1960), Estas Searas (1984) and À Flor do Tempo (1997) – as well as embarking on an exploration of archives containing texts which Losa regularly published in periodicals and newspapers but which have not been reproduced in anthologised collections. The impression of Losa’s cronista identity which emerges is of someone thoroughly, consistently and boldly engaged with issues of social justice, frequently and skilfully navigating Estado Novo censorship in order to express her controversially progressive views. Combining quantitative and qualitative data from the Losa family archive plus four case studies (Vértice, Seara Nova, Diário de Lisboa and Público), beyond developing a fuller picture of the Losian crónica across the five decades of its production, the thesis also incorporates a discussion and practical illustration of the need for a transparent approach to archival work

    Ilse (Lieblich) Losa and the Portuguese Literary Establishment: Finding the Nomad a Home?

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    This dissertation examines Portuguese literature’s reception of the German-born Portuguese writer, Ilse Losa (1913-2006). It primarily examines the question of Losa’s rare position as a foreigner in the Portuguese literary sphere and how this determined the ambiguous place she appears to hold there. The linguistic and cultural difference or “novelty” that Losa represents for Portuguese literature sees her firstly discussed in terms of Harold Bloom’s notion of “canonical strangeness.” Rosi Braidotti’s theory of the “nomadic subject” then provides the basis for an alternative discussion of Losa’s role, owing to the more flexible and democratic discursive framework it offers. In exploring the unprecedented nature of Losa’s writing in Portuguese as a non-native speaker, the emerging concept of “exophony” is also examined and proposed as an area to be inaugurated in Portuguese literary studies. The objective behind this approach is to encourage an opening up of the Portuguese literary establishment. In doing so, it argues in favor of creating a space for writers such as Losa, whose atypical personal and professional trajectory has seen her, thus far, afforded a marginal and isolated place, limiting the appreciation of her work. The last part of the study points to the potential of Ilse Losa’s writing to cultivate a nomadic subjectivity and consciousness in those who read her, broadening the horizons of the literary/cultural arena in which she based herself, and at the same time, lessening the distance between her and her Portuguese audience
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