Raul Leal
Raul d'Oliveira Sousa Leal was a Portuguese writer, poet, and occultist. A figure associated with modernism and futurism, he was also one of the contributors to the Portuguese avant-garde literary magazine Orpheu. He is best known for his controversial work Sodoma Divinizada.
Biography
Raul Leal graduated in law from the University of Coimbra in 1909. In 1915, he went into exile in Spain due to political reasons.Autobiographical note
Leal was among the first to introduce futurism to Portuguese literature. In 1915, he published the "vertiginous novella" Atelier in the second issue of Orpheu, intended as part of an unpublished collection titled Devaneios e Alucinações. Uniquely in Portuguese literature, he wrote all his poetic work in French. In 1923, he planned to write a "metaphysical drama" titled O Incompreendido.He contributed widely to various modernist publications:
- In 1916, he published A Aventura dum Sátiro ou a Morte de Adónis in the magazine Centauro.
- In 1917, he contributed the article L'Abstraccionisme Futuriste to Portugal Futurista, analyzing a work by Santa-Rita Pintor.
- He collaborated in the magazines Pirâmide, Athena, and Sudoeste, edited by Almada Negreiros.
''Sodoma Divinizada'' and Controversy
In 1923, Leal published Sodoma Divinizada with the Olisipo publishing house, managed by Fernando Pessoa. The book became central to the literary scandal later known as the "Literature of Sodom", which also involved António Botto’s poetry book Canções.The controversy was sparked by Pessoa’s article António Botto e o Ideal Estético em Portugal in the magazine Contemporânea. The ensuing public debate involved several figures, including journalist Álvaro Maia and junior politician Pedro Teotónio Pereira.
In March 1923, the civil governor of Lisbon ordered the **seizure and public burning** of Canções, Sodoma Divinizada, and Decadência by Judite Teixeira. In response, Leal published the pamphlet Uma Lição de Moral aos Estudantes de Lisboa e o Descaramento da Igreja Católica.
Works
Selected publications
A Apassionáta de Beethoven e Viâna da Móta. Coimbra: França Amado.A Liberdade Transcendente. Lisbon: A. M. Teixeira.- "Atelier. Novela vertígica", in Orpheu No. 2.
- "A Aventura dum Sátiro ou a Morte de Adónis", in Centauro No. 1.
- "L'Abstraccionisme Futuriste", in Portugal Futurista.Antéchrist et la Gloire du Saint-Esprit. Lisbon: Portugalia.Sodoma Divinizada. Lisbon: Olisipo.Uma Lição de Moral aos Estudantes de Lisboa e o Descaramento da Igreja Católica.Repetidor de Filosofia. Porto: Livraria Educação Nacional.Sindicalismo Personalista. Lisbon: Editorial Verbo.Sodoma Divinizada, 2nd ed. Lisbon: Contraponto.