INTERVIEW
Sophia Mello Breyner
(PT team - 6F class)
ED TWINNING - How old were you when you wrote your first poem?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - I tried to start writing my first poem with twelve years, but officially I only did it with fourteen years.
ED TWINNING - Can you explain your passion for Greece?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - My passion for Greece began to grow when I learned to read and my mother offered me a book called "Greek Mythology". What fascinated me most in this book were the photographs of the statues... I don't know why, but they reminded me of the sea.
ED TWINNING - In your opinion, do you think there are points in common between Greek and Portuguese culture?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - I think so, because as the Greeks the Portuguese people have roots in the sea. It's a people of sailors and discoveries.
ED TWINNING - What does poetry mean to you and what is its role in people's lives?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - Poetry to me means transmitting to people everything that comes into my soul. It's the pursuit of the real, it's a circle traced around one thing.
ED TWINNING - The sea is an important theme in your poems. What's the symbolism?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - The sea is of great importance to me. I love the sea... It symbolizes rebirth, purity and life itself.
ED TWINNING - Dear Sophia, Do you agree that a writer can or will be able to express everything with poetry?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - A poet can never find out what's in his soul. It is up to the reader to fill the sentimental gaps that a poem may or might not have.
ED TWINNING - I know you love the sea, but has you ever been on the mountain before?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - Yes, I've been on the mountain several times. In fact, I have very dear friends who live in mountainous areas and I often visit them.
ED TWINNING - Is it easier or harder for you to write for children? Are they, more demanding readers?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - I've always written for children and I can tell you that it's the most demanding there is. They have a lot of imagination and are very critical.
ED TWINNING - Did you ever talk to your children about your roots?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - Yes, I usually talk to them a lot about my origins. We have family in Denmark, but I feel a great appeal for southern Europe.
ED TWINNING - What is the Greek myth that you like the most?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - The Greek myth that I like the most is the myth «Orpheus» about which I wrote nine compositions. He was a poet and he had a melodious voice. It is said that when he touched his lira, even the birds would stop flying to hear it.
ED TWINNING - Why did you become a poet?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - I have liked poetry since I was very young and I always thought that children should read poetry because it is the best way to learn.
ED TWINNING - What's your best poem for you?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - I don't have any favorite poems, I think they're all my favorites... Depends on my state of mind.
ED TWINNING - Do you write poetry to live or do you have another profession?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - No, I just write poetry. It's my profession and I do it because I like it.
ED TWINNING - Have you had any troubling illnesses?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - No, except for old age. As you know, I've done 100 years. This year, it is the commemoration of my centenary in several countries.
ED TWINNING - Did you have a stepson?
SOPHIA MELLO BREYNER - No, I had five kids. It was because of them that I started writing stories for children. I devoted each one of them to a book... The Bronze Boy, The Sea Girl, the Forest, The Oriana Fairy...
(woork by Lara Maia)
Sophia - 1919/2019
