Yesterday's event was attended by students from Externato Paulo VI and Colégio D. Pedro V, who read excerpts and asked the author questions.
The book "Histórias da Nonô", by Luís da Silva Pereira, served as a motto for promoting reading, in a literary and cultural event that took place yesterday afternoon at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Portuguese Catholic University (UCP) in Braga.
The event, part of the Local Reading Plan (PLL) activities, was organized by professors Cândido Oliveira Martins and Luísa Magalhães, from UCP, and Fernando Azevedo, from UMinho, and was attended and participated in by students from Externato Paulo VI and Colégio D. Pedro V, who not only read excerpts from the work but also had the opportunity to ask questions of the author, a retired professor in the Humanities department at the Catholic University.
At the opening, the director of the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences referred to the session's special guest, Luís da Silva Pereira, expressing "appreciation" for his "lifelong dedication to the noble cause of education over several generations". "A great teacher and artist, a great friend of the Faculty," said José Lopes.
Professor Cândido Martins also took the opportunity to thank the author of the work, of whom he was a student, for having dedicated his life to teaching and research. "A teacher can make a big difference in the lives of his students," he said, highlighting his "ability to communicate in literature classes", his "empathy full of humanism" and "a passion that for many of us has made a decisive difference".
Cândido Martins also praised Luís da Silva Pereira's career outside the school context because "a teacher's activity is not restricted to the classroom". Hence the "civic and cultural commitment he embodied", having embraced other "causes" such as director of Diário do Minho, director of Bracara Augusta magazine and cultural initiatives.
Professor Fernando Azevedo explained the importance of yesterday's event: "Training readers is a mission of Portuguese society and the Local Literature Plan is at your service and encourages all initiatives by civil society and higher education institutions to promote reading, so that more and better reading can be done," he said.
Then, after a performance by the Allegro Academy and the reading of excerpts from "Histórias de Nonô", some of the children present asked the author questions ranging from his age to what inspired him to create the work.
Satisfying the curiosity of the youngsters, Luís da Silva Pereira explained, among other things, that he has always enjoyed writing, but that he has only been writing fiction and literature for just over 30 years; that the character Nonô was inspired by his eldest granddaughter (now an adult), but that she represents all the children he has come across; and that it was the reaction of children, their charm, beauty and authenticity that inspired him to create this work.
