Olinda Beja

Olinda Beja is a São Tomé and Príncipe poet, writer and narrator. She later emigrated to Viseu in Portugal and later became a Portuguese citizen.

Biography

Beja was born in Guadalupe on São Tomé Island in 1946 to Portuguese José de Beja Martins and native Santomean Maria da Trindade Filipe.
Beja lived in São Tomé and Príncipe for about 12 years, and later lived in the Beira Alta, Portugal. She got a degree in Modern Languages, French and Portuguese at the University of Porto, and was a teacher at the Secondary School from 1976. She currently teaches Portuguese language and culture in Switzerland, and is a cultural advisor to the ambassador of São Tomé and Príncipe.
Beja won the Francisco José Tenreiro Literary Award in 2013 on her work A Sombra do Ocá.
In 2015, she wrote a book titled Um Grão de Café with the National Literary Plan of Portugal.

Published works

Bô Tendê? – poems– 1992 – 2nd ed. – C.M Aveiro;Leve, Leve - poems - 1993- 2nd ed. C.M.Aveiro;15 Dias de Regresso – novel – 1994 – 3rd ed. – Pé-de-Pag.Editores;No País do Tchiloli – poems – 1996 – C.M.Aveiro;A Pedra de Villa Nova – novel – 1999 – Palimage Editores;Pingos de Chuva – short story – 2000 – Palimage Editores;Quebra-Mar – poems – 2001 – Palimage Editores;Água Crioula – poems – 2002 – Pé –de-Página Editores;A Ilha de Izunari – short stories – 2003 – S.T.P. – Instituto Camões;Pé-de-Perfume – short story – 2004 – 2ª Ed;Aromas de Cajamanga – poems – Editora Escrituras – S. Paulo, Brazil – 2009;O Cruzeiro do Sul – poems – Bilingual edition: Portuguese and Spanish – EditEl Taller del Poeta – 2011.Um grão de café : - 2013.À Sombra do Oká - poems- 2015 - Edições EsgotadasTomé Bombom - children's story/youth - juvenil - 2016 - Edições EsgotadasChá do Príncipe - short stories- 2017 - Rosa de Porcelana Editora