A Portuguese review

2.1.1 A ‘blank space’

Eça had long dreamt of creating a review. Even in his youth he had enthusiastically expressed such a desire in a letter written to Emídio Garcia in 1867/68 (Correspondência, i, pp. 39–40). Unfortunately, the ambitious plan that he had so much hoped to realize did not come to fruition because Anselmo de Andrade, with whom he was to share the project, departed for Beja. The idea, however, did not die with the passing of time.

In 1888, while he was still consul in Bristol but already living in London, Eça began to plan the Revista de Portugal. This time it was with Mariano Pina, who visited him in the English capital in June that year. No effort was spared. His correspondence shows one budget after another, fervent appeals to friends and acquaintances asking for their collaboration, and successive letters to Genelioux, the publisher, explaining the objectives of the future publication. There are two documents in his archive presenting long lists of possible collaborators. These lists also show the section(s) of the review assigned to each of the collaborators.

Advertising the new periodical was not forgotten, either. A promotional prospectus was drawn up (as one had been twenty years earlier when he was planning a review with Anselmo de Andrade) to be distributed to the press. This is a sixteen-page leaflet with the same format and layout as the new review.