His books have been published in more than thirty languages. Portuguese writer José Luís Peixoto is coming to Trenčín for a literary evening at Centrum pre rodinu.
He comes from the town of Galveias in Portugal’s Alentejo region, a place he often returns to in his writing. He received the José Saramago Prize for his novel Nenhum Olhar, becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the award. He writes fiction, poetry, plays, and travel literature. His novels The Piano Cemetery and Sunday Lunch have been published in Slovak in translations by Lenka Cinková, and this year his debut You Died on Me, a sensitive book about the loss of his father, was also published in Slovak.
Come and meet one of the most prominent contemporary Portuguese authors and discover literature coming from the other side of Europe.
When and where?
Friday, 2 October 2026, 18:00
Centrum pre rodinu, Trenčín
Admission: free
About the author:
José Luís Peixoto was born in 1974 in the town of Galveias in Portugal’s Alentejo region. He is one of the most prominent contemporary Portuguese writers. You Died on Me (Morreste-me, 2000) was his literary debut. His books, encompassing poetry, fiction, and drama, have been translated into more than thirty languages.
He has received several literary awards, including the José Saramago Prize for the novel Nenhum Olhar (2000), the Daniel Faria Prize for the poetry collection Gaveta de Papéis (2008), and the Oceanos Prize for the novel Galveias (2014). For his novel The Piano Cemetery (Cemitério de Pianos, 2006), he received the Cálamo “Otra Mirada” Prize in 2007, awarded annually to the best foreign novel published in Spain. In 2026, he was awarded the Vergílio Ferreira Prize for his lifetime body of work.
His novels The Piano Cemetery (2017) and Sunday Lunch (2024), as well as the short story The Corpse of James Joyce in the anthology 9+1 (2022), have been published in Slovak by the Portuguese Institute. In his latest novel, A Montanha, published in 2025, he explores the theme of cancer and revisits themes found in some of his earlier works, including his debut Morreste-me.
In addition to his native region, Peixoto draws inspiration from his travels around the world. He writes travel pieces for several magazines. His travel books Dentro do Segredo: Uma viagem pela Coreia do Norte (2012) and O Caminho Imperfeito (2017) have also received considerable acclaim from critics and readers. He publishes his travel projects, including the JLP in situ project, in which he writes poetry in different locations, at joseluispeixotoemviagem.com.
The event is organised in cooperation with the Portuguese Institute and the Camões Institute.
The event is part of the Trenčín Literary Festival project within the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026.
