Fifty-eight autograph letters (on 64 leaves) and 1 autograph postcard, all signed and dated, plus 3 envelopes (with stamps), all to Eduardo Salgueiro regarding editorial matters.

Porto and Leça da Palmeira, , April 1940 to May 1961.. Various sizes (most in the range of 27.5 x 22 cm. to 26 x 15.5 cm.), stored in plastic sleeves in a recent binder. Written in a large, legible hand, in ink. Some sheets with black borders or with letterhead of the Companhia de Seguros Ourique of Lisbon and Porto. A few light stains and some blurring of ink, but legible throughout. Overall in very good to fine condition. 58 letters on 64 leaves, plus 1 postcard and 3 envelopes. *** Collection of 58 autograph letters (on 62 leaves) and 1 autograph postcard, all signed and dated, plus 3 envelopes (with stamps). Serpa, in Porto or nearby Leça da Palmeira, was writing to Eduardo Salgueiro at Editorial Inquérito in Lisbon. He addresses him as "Meu caro Salgueiro" and signs as "Alberto de Serpa," "A. de Serpa," or "Alberto." The letters deal with editorial matters: clearly Serpa favored the squeaky-wheel approach to dealing with his publisher.Alberto de Serpa Esteves de Oliveira (Porto, 1906-1992), poet, dramatist, essayist and book collector, attended the University of Coimbra for 3 years but was more interested in collaborating with the writers of Presença than in studying. He published his first novel, Saudade do mar, at age 17, and 2 collections of poetry (Quadras and Evoé), but it was 2 later collections, Varanda, 1934, and Vinte poemas da noite, 1935, that led to his unanimous recognition by critics as an important modern poet. Casais Monteiro says that Serpa, along with Branquinho da Fonseca, Carlos Queirós and Francisco Bugalho, gave us "um novo aspecto do abandono egoísta a um eu inadaptado à acção … [Serpa] tem, na poesia, não uma via de contacto com a realidade, mas, por assim dizer, um instrumento a cuja musica embala a sua dolorosa impressão de diferença e de incompatibilidade" (p. 239).After his years in Coimbra, Serpa returned to his native Porto where he became an insurance broker, presumably for the Companhia de Seguros Ourique, whose letterhead he uses several times. Serpa also wrote the literary page in the important Porto newspaper O Primeiro de Janeiro. He was imprisoned for political reasons in 1936, and at the same period became once again a fervent Catholic. Throughout his life he contributed to Portuguese literary reviews, including A Águia, Aventura, Cadernos de poesia, Cavalo de todas as cores (co-editor), Diálogo, Momento, Presença (editor of the second series, 1939-40), Quatro ventos and Tríptico. He also wrote works on António Nobre, José Régio, and others. Serpa's collection of books and manuscripts, over 2,600 items focusing on modern Portuguese literature, was sold at auction in 1988. The sale catalogue reveals many presentation copies to Serpa of books by major figures of the first and second wave of Portuguese modernism, such as Fernando Pessoa, António Botto, Almada Negreiros, António Ferro, José Rêgio, Miguel Torga, Branquinho da Fonseca, as well as important writers from other schools, such as Teixeira de Pascoaes, Eugénio de Castro, Jorge de Sena, etc.Eduardo Salgueiro (b. Moimenta da Beira, 1904) studied law, but soon showed a preference for journalism. In the 1920s he was editor of O Comércio do Porto and O Século, and founded the weekly A República. In 1928 he founded Editorial Inquérito, which helped revive Portugal's stagnant publishing industry, encouraged a renaissance in graphic design, and became an important influence in the cultural life of the time. Editorial Inquérito published many hundreds of works under Salgueiro's direction, including the debuts of many Portuguese authors. From time to time it ran afoul of the political police of Salazar's Estado Novo. Salgueiro also issued five books of his own poetry and translations such as História do pensamento social.A sample of the contents of the letters:1944, 1 July: "Lembre ao Snr. Revisor que a ortografia adoptada no meu livro é a oficial, e não a da Academia."1944, 24 July: "Você foi o primeiro editor a bater à minha porta com uma proposta de edição para os meus versos. Sabe como essas coisas não esquecem a quem é grato. Como sou, tenho obrigações que cumpro e cumprirei. Terminei a minha 'Rua.' Parece-me um bom livro, o primeiro que me deve tirar do rol dos poetas menores do meu tempo. Mando-lho e peço-lhe que, numa das suas poucas horas vagas, o leia. E diga-me, depois, se lhe interessa fazer a edição."1944, 30 July: sketch for the cover of Poesia1944, 25 August: "Um dos assuntos que mais me interessava ver resolvido, era o caso Torga. Escrevi-lhe, e recebi hoje a resposta. Tem o seu livro novo a editar na "Coimbra Editora," mas não tem compromissos para nenhum livro antigo, e nenhum compromisso tem para o futuro. Não tem Você maneira de dar cá uma saltada? Acho que só aquele caso, valeria a maçada. Mas, além desse, poderia dar vários tipos: Manuel Larajeira, Florbela Espanca, Mário de Sá-Carneiro (Livro de prosa) e Pascoais." 1951, 10 December: "Faz hoje 15 dias que lhe enviei o manuscrito do Almanaque de Lembranças Luso-Brasileiro. E nem uma palavra, demorado Amigo, Você ainda me deci! E eu tão apressado!" The Almanaque, an anthology of poetry, was published by Inquérito in 1954; Serpa's letters from 1951 to May 1954 are mainly concerned with the revisions, proofs, indexes, colophon, cover [by António Vaz Pereira], and types of paper for the various issues. Ongoing delays in publication enraged Serpa and led him to contact other publishers about taking over the project. Serpa's letters of May and June 1954 are concerned with the sales and reviews of the Almanaque. 1952, March 26: "Estamos no fim de Março, e começo a desesperar. Diga-me, realmente, se não pode editar já o livro. Eu o editarei em menos de 15 dias... Esta demora prejudica-me masisssssssssimo."1952, 28 August: "Meu caro Salgueiro, - ó Homem de Deus e do Diabo! Eu sei muito bem as atenções que Você tem sido comigo; mas conheço também muito bem as suas desatenções para toda a gente e que, desta vez, para comigo estão passando todas as fronteiras."*** On Serpa: Casais Monteiro, Poesia portuguesa contemporânea, pp. 239-45. Saraiva & Lopes, História da literatura portuguesa (17th ed.) pp. 1017-21. Grande enciclopédia XXVIII, 456-7. See also Fernando Guimarães in Machado, ed., Dicionário de literatura portuguesa, p. 449; Eugenio Lisboa in Biblos, IV, 1276–7; and Dicionário cronológico de autores portugueses, IV, 291-2. On Eduardo Salgueiro: Grande enciclopédia XXVI, 735.