The President of the Republic addressed a message of congratulations to essayist Eduardo Lourenço for having been awarded the 2011 Pessoa Prize.

Following is the text of the message addressed by President Anibal Cavaco Silva:

“Upon being advised of the award of the 2011 Pessoa Prize to Eduardo Lourenço I warmly congratulate the winner and the jury of this prestigious Prize.

Eduardo Lourenço is one of the greatest figures of Portuguese culture.

A philosopher and essayist with extensive published work, he was one of the very few who was able to contemplate Portugal’s future. Throughout decades, his liberal and free thought attained international recognition, daily querying the Portuguese with critical analyses of great perspicacity and flawless independence of spirit. Intellectually minded and with admirable integrity, he detected problems of which we were unaware. He led us through the labyrinth of nostalgia – the title of one of his best known books -, opened up paths for a more consistent and fruitful meditation on the Country we are, on our Culture and on the position we occupy in Europe and the World.

The award of the Pessoa Prize to Eduardo Lourenço is an act of justice and, simultaneously, a tribute to the intellectual trajectory of our greatest contemporary essayist.

Anibal Cavaco Silva”