Mozambican writer Daúde Amade is the winner of the 8th edition of the Imprensa Nacional/Eugénio Lisboa Prize. Under the pseudonym Jorge Nyembete, Amad competed with the unpublished novel "Rogilda, ou Breviário de Agonia".

According to the jury, made up of Lucílio Manjate (President), Sara Jona and Paula Mendes, the work "Rogilda, ou Breviário de Agonia" stands out for its topical intrigue, set in an ambivalent time between the chronological and the psychological, that of Covid 19, in Mozambique and in the world.

"This choice results in a novel with a predominantly psychological and immersive slant, whose action is centered on the space of a house. Based on this time and space, the work challenges the reader to courageously recall the individual and collective experiences of the pandemic, the after-effects of which are still visible on the face of humanity," say the judges.

In the jury's judgment, "by exploring the theme of agony, the work creates an atmosphere of tension and continuous suspense, which, ironically, holds the reader in the expectation of imminent death, the great metonymy of the Covid 19 pandemic.

There is, however, an unsuccessful suicide attempt. This turning point in the novel leads the reader to confront other themes and dilemmas: anguish, isolation, loneliness vs. companionship; the artificiality vs. the naturalness of human relationships; the value of happiness and love in the face of a technologically oppressive world, among others."

According to the judges, the winning work also stands out for its fluid and introspective narration, which unfolds using the flashback technique and skillful alternation between the first and second person.

The investment in poetic and plastic language is remarkable. The poeticity and plasticity of her language are centered, respectively, on the description of the protagonist's inner world, from which inspiring philosophical-existential reflections emerge, and on the intertextual evocation of names and works from Mozambican and universal literature and music. The result of these choices is a polyphonic and, at the same time, secure and cohesive novel, which proves that Daúde Nossi Amade has a keen awareness of literary work.

The Imprensa Nacional/Eugénio Lisboa Prize, which aims to select unpublished works of high quality in the field of prose, thus encouraging the Portuguese language and Mozambican literary creation, was created in 2017 by the Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda (INCM), in partnership with Camões - Centro Cultural Português in Maputo. In addition to a cash prize of 5,000 euros, the prize includes the publication of the winning work under the seal of the National Press.