Biography

Maria Teresa Horta was born on May 20, 1937 in Lisbon, Portugal. She was a writer, known for Mara (1985), Das Frühstück der Hyäne (1983) and Verão Coincidente (1963). She was married to Luís Barros. She died on February 4, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal.

She attended the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon, was head of ABC Cine-Clube, active militant in the female emancipation movements, journalist of the newspaper "A Capital" and leader of the magazine "Mulheres".

The BBC placed the Portuguese writer among "the 100 most influential and inspiring women in the world.

She was widely awarded throughout her literary career, highlighting, only in recent years, the 2017 Authors Award, in the category of best poetry book, for "Announcements", the Medal of Cultural Merit with which the Ministry of Culture distinguished her in 2020, the Casino da Póvoa Literary Award that she won in 2021 for the work "Stranhezas", and the award, in 2022, with the degree of Grand Officer of the Order of Freedom, by the President of the Republic.

Daughter of Jorge Augusto da Silva Horta, Bastonary of the Ordem dos Médicos (General Medical Council of Portugal) and a university professor, and his wife D. Carlota Maria Mascarenhas, of the Marquesses of Fronteira, Counts of Torre and Counts of Coculim, and also Marquesses of Alorna (formerly Marquesses of Castelo Novo) and Counts of Assumar.

Son, Luís Jorge Horta Barros, born on 4 April 1965, is married to Maria Antónia Martins Peças Pereira and has two sons, Bé and Tiago Horta Barros.