Le Portugal envisage de retirer Saramago des lectures obligatoires au lycée

Portugal's Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation has proposed removing José Saramago's works from the mandatory reading list for 12th-grade students, sparking debate among educators, literary institutions and the author whose work would replace them. The proposal, part of a broader revision of essential learning objectives currently under public consultation, would allow schools to choose between Saramago's "Memorial do Convento" or "O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis" and Mário de Carvalho's "Um Deus Passeando pela Brisa da Tarde," rather than treating Saramago's works as the sole mandatory option. Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre described the consultation as "absolutely technical" and stressed that no final decision has been made. The revised curriculum, if approved, would take effect in the 2027/28 school year.

La fondation demande de remplacer « ou » par « et » pour maintenir les deux auteurs The José Saramago Foundation, chaired by Pilar del Río, questioned the criteria behind the proposed change and asked whether the same logic would be applied to other authors considered part of the canon of Portuguese literature. The foundation stopped short of outright opposition, instead proposing a linguistic adjustment to the curriculum document. „La position de la Fondation José Saramago sera toujours de réunir et non de mettre en comparaison ou en opposition. Nous laissons donc à la commission chargée de cette modification de la liste des livres de lecture obligatoire en terminale la suggestion de remplacer le mot « or » par le mot « and », en associant José Saramago à l’écrivain Mário de Carvalho, digne de toute admiration, et en ouvrant ainsi la porte à d’autres écrivains pour qu’ils participent eux aussi à la formation de nouvelles générations de lecteurs” — José Saramago Foundation via Diario de Noticias The foundation also recalled Saramago's 1998 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, in which he thanked Portuguese writers past and present, noting that he was "only one more who has joined them." The foundation further asked whether the proposed change "will cover other authors who are part of the canon of Portuguese Literature, placing them as suggested reading and not mandatory." The proposal also introduces Camilo Castelo Branco as mandatory reading at the 12th-grade level, while making several other adjustments to poetry and short story requirements across the secondary curriculum.

L’association des enseignants soutient la diversification, pas l’abandon de Saramago João Pedro Aido, president of the Portuguese Teachers' Association, defended the proposal as a means of broadening reading habits rather than sidelining Saramago. Aido said Saramago's works would continue to be studied through the reading contract, a curriculum mechanism that links themes across different works and arts. „Saramago reste dans les objectifs d’apprentissage et les enseignants ne vont pas cesser de travailler sur Saramago” — João Pedro Aido via Notícias ao Minuto He argued that the reading contract allows students to "have a dialogue with other works or with other arts" and to develop, beyond the pleasure of reading, the pleasure of interpreting. Aido also pushed back against the notion that Mário de Carvalho's work is less demanding than Saramago's, saying: "We are not putting more complex works by Saramago as an alternative to a more accessible work." He added that Carvalho's novel prompts reflection on society and themes including immigration, and can be connected to classic texts already featured in the 12th-grade Portuguese examination. The proposal also includes a personal reading project requiring secondary school students to read at least 60 minutes per day from a book of their choice.

Carvalho salue une reconnaissance mais refuse toute logique de rivalité Mário de Carvalho, the writer whose work would enter the list of options, welcomed the news with measured satisfaction while firmly rejecting any framing of competition with Saramago. „Pour moi, cela signifiait davantage de reconnaissance. Par conséquent, quelqu’un a considéré que mon livre méritait d’être lu, apprécié et analysé et l’a proposé. Moi, comme vous pouvez l’imaginer, je n’y suis pour rien” — Mário de Carvalho via TSF Rádio Notícias Carvalho, born in Lisbon in 1944, described Saramago as "a respectable author, moreover, whom I personally even knew," and said he does not view his book in terms of competition with anyone. Helena Buescu, a full professor at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon who coordinated the Portuguese curriculum in 2014 — when Saramago's works became mandatory under then-Education Minister Nuno Crato — told TSF that it is normal for authors to rotate in and out of school programs. „L’exception pour moi est Camões. Luís de Camões est un auteur qui ne peut pas sortir du canon. Tous les autres, même Fernando Pessoa, peuvent entrer et sortir, être remplacés par un hétéroonyme ou un autre hétéroonyme” — Helena Buescu via TSF Rádio Notícias The public consultation on the essential learning objectives remains open until April 28, 2026, after which the government will conduct a deeper revision of the curricular framework, including an assessment of the impact of artificial intelligence on education.

José Saramago, né le 16 novembre 1922 et mort le 18 juin 2010, a reçu le prix Nobel de littérature en 1998, devenant le premier auteur de langue portugaise à recevoir cette distinction. Ses œuvres sont devenues obligatoires dans le programme portugais de terminale en 2014, pendant le mandat du ministre de l’éducation Nuno Crato. Le processus de révision en cours s’inscrit dans un effort plus large du gouvernement visant à actualiser les objectifs d’apprentissage essentiels dans toutes les matières, et pas seulement dans la littérature portugaise.

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