João Aguiar
journalist · writer
- October 26, 1943
- June 3, 2010
- 66 years
- cancer
About João Aguiar
João Aguiar, 66, Portuguese writer and journalist.
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Full Biography
|João Casimiro Namorado de Aguiar (28 October 1943 – 3 June 2010) was a Portuguese writer and journalist. He spent his youth in Portuguese Mozambique. Aguiar was born and died in Lisbon. After working for a time in the Portuguese tourist industry in Brussels and Amsterdam, he studied journalism at the Free University of Brussels and in 1976 returned to Portugal to work as a journalist.
He worked for RTP (where he began his career in 1963) and a variety of daily and weekly periodicals such as the Daily News, A Luta, Diário Popular, O País, and Sábado. In 1981 he was named press secretary of the Ministry of Quality of Life, a short-lived government department concerned with sports and the environment. He was a regular contributor to the monthly magazine Superinteressante and sat on its editorial board. He died of cancer on 3 June 2010 in Lisbon.
He dedicated himself to literature, being one of the most acclaimed Portuguese novelists in the genre of the historical novel.
Major works
- An Investigation of Portuguese Esotericism (Uma incursão no esoterismo português) (1983)
- The Voice of the Gods (A Voz dos Deuses) (1984)
- The Man With No Name (O homem sem nome) (1986)
- The Throne of the Most High (O trono do altíssimo) (1988)
- The Song of the Phantasms (O canto dos fantasmas) (1990)
- The Pearl-Eaters (Os comedores de pérolas) (1992)
- The Hour of Sertorius (A hora de Sertório) (1994)
- The Eulogy of the Spirits (A encomendação das almas) (1995)
- Solitary Navigator (Navegador solitário) (1996)
- Inês of Portugal (Inês de Portugal) (1997)
- The Dragon of Smoke (O dragão de fumo) (1998)
- The Green Cathedral (A catedral verde) (2000)
- A Goddess in the Fog (Uma Deusa na Bruma) (2003)
- The Seventh Hero (O sétimo herói) (2004)
- The Garden of Delights (O jardim das delícias) (2005)
- The Sitting Tiger (O tigre sentado) (2005, 2nd edition)
- Lapedo – A Child in the Valley (Lapedo – uma criança no vale) (2006)
- The Priory of the Cifrão (O priorado do cifrão) (2008)
Children's fiction
- The Group of Four (O Bando dos Quatro)
- Sebastian and the Secret Worlds (Sebastião e os Mundos Secretos)
Other works
- The White Orchid (A Orquídea Branca), libretto for an opera with music by Jorge Salgueiro (premiered 27 October 2008)
- I Saw the Third Reich Fall (Eu vi morrer o III Reich) by Manuel Homem de Mello (edited and with commentary by João Aguiar) (Ediciones Vega, Lisboa)
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_Aguiar_(writer)
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from João Aguiar's archived record and the sources above.
1.Where was João Aguiar born?
- A.Amsterdam
- B.Lisboncorrect
- C.Mozambique
- D.Brussels
João Aguiar was born and died in Lisbon.
Source: biography introduction
2.In which region did João Aguiar spend his youth?
- A.Portuguese Mozambiquecorrect
- B.Southern Portugal
- C.The Netherlands
- D.Belgium
João Aguiar spent his youth in Portuguese Mozambique.
Source: biography introduction
3.What subject did João Aguiar study at the Free University of Brussels?
- A.Literature
- B.Tourism
- C.Environmental Science
- D.Journalismcorrect
João Aguiar studied journalism at the Free University of Brussels.
Source: education section
4.At which organization did João Aguiar begin his career in 1963?
- A.RTPcorrect
- B.Daily News
- C.Sábado
- D.A Luta
João Aguiar began his career at RTP in 1963.
Source: career section
5.What government position did João Aguiar hold in 1981?
- A.Press secretary of the Ministry of Quality of Lifecorrect
- B.Environment director of the Daily News
- C.Editor of the Ministry of Sports
- D.Minister of Tourism
In 1981, João Aguiar was named press secretary of the Ministry of Quality of Life.
Source: government career section
6.What was the cause of João Aguiar's death in 2010?
- A.Cancercorrect
- B.Pneumonia
- C.Heart failure
- D.A car accident
João Aguiar died of cancer on 3 June 2010 in Lisbon.
Source: biography introduction
7.João Aguiar was most acclaimed for writing in which literary genre?
- A.Political biography
- B.Science fiction
- C.Poetry
- D.Historical novelcorrect
João Aguiar was one of the most acclaimed Portuguese novelists in the genre of the historical novel.
Source: biography introduction
8.In which city did João Aguiar work in the tourist industry before returning to Portugal?
- A.Maputo
- B.Brusselscorrect
- C.Porto
- D.Lisbon
After working in the tourist industry in Brussels and Amsterdam, he returned to Portugal.
Source: early career section
9.In what year was the book 'The Voice of the Gods' published?
- A.1984correct
- B.1983
- C.1988
- D.1986
The Voice of the Gods (A Voz dos Deuses) was published in 1984.
Source: major works list
10.Which of these is a work of children's fiction by João Aguiar?
- A.The Pearl-Eaters
- B.The Seventh Hero
- C.The Green Cathedral
- D.Sebastian and the Secret Worldscorrect
Sebastian and the Secret Worlds is listed as one of João Aguiar's works of children's fiction.
Source: children's fiction section
11.For which monthly magazine did João Aguiar contribute and sit on its editorial board?
- A.Diário Popular
- B.Sábado
- C.Superinteressantecorrect
- D.A Luta
João Aguiar was a regular contributor to the monthly magazine Superinteressante and sat on its editorial board.
Source: career section
12.What is the title of the libretto for an opera written by João Aguiar?
- A.The Dragon of Smoke
- B.The Garden of Delights
- C.The White Orchidcorrect
- D.A Goddess in the Fog
The White Orchid is the libretto for an opera with music by Jorge Salgueiro, written by João Aguiar.
Source: other works section
13.Which book edited by João Aguiar features his commentary?
- A.The Priory of the Cifrão
- B.The Hour of Sertorius
- C.I Saw the Third Reich Fallcorrect
- D.The Sitting Tiger
João Aguiar edited and wrote commentary for 'I Saw the Third Reich Fall' by Manuel Homem de Mello.
Source: other works section
14.In what year was 'The Sitting Tiger' published in its second edition?
- A.2004
- B.2005correct
- C.2008
- D.2006
The Sitting Tiger was published in a 2nd edition in 2005.
Source: major works list
15.What was the subject of the government department João Aguiar worked for in 1981?
- A.Sports and the environmentcorrect
- B.Tourism and Education
- C.Foreign Affairs
- D.Journalism and Culture
The Ministry of Quality of Life was a department concerned with sports and the environment.
Source: government career section
16.Which novel was published by João Aguiar in 1997?
- A.Solitary Navigator
- B.The Song of the Phantasms
- C.The Eulogy of the Spirits
- D.Inês of Portugalcorrect
Inês of Portugal (Inês de Portugal) was published in 1997.
Source: major works list
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