Alvaro Cunhal

Álvaro Cunhal was a prominent figure in the Portuguese political scene and the communist movement. He joined the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) in 1931, when he was a law student at the University of Lisbon. He became a leader of the party's youth wing and a member of its central committee. He was arrested several times by the fascist regime of António de Oliveira Salazar, and spent a total of 13 years in prison, where he endured torture and isolation. He also wrote some of his novels and essays under the pseudonym Manuel Tiago while in jail. In 1960, he escaped from the Peniche prison with nine other comrades, in a daring operation that boosted the morale of the anti-fascist resistance. He went into exile in Moscow and Paris, where he coordinated the party's activities and maintained contacts with other communist parties. He was one of the most loyal supporters of the Soviet Union and its policies, even when they were criticized by other Western European communists. He returned to Portugal in 1974, after the Carnation Revolution that overthrew the dictatorship. He became a minister without portfolio in the first four provisional governments, and advocated for a socialist transformation of the country. He also played a key role in the decolonization process of Portugal's African territories. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1975, and then to six consecutive terms in the Parliament. He remained the secretary-general of the PCP until 1992, when he resigned due to health problems. He was succeeded by Carlos Carvalhas. Cunhal was also a prolific writer and a talented painter. He published several novels, such as Five Days, Five Nights (1959), The Six-Pointed Star (1970), and Até Amanhã, Camaradas (1974), as well as essays on political, historical, and cultural topics. He also exhibited his paintings in various galleries and museums. His works reflected his communist ideals and his personal experiences. Cunhal died in Lisbon in 2005, at the age of 91. His funeral was attended by more than 250,000 people, who paid tribute to his life and legacy. He was buried at the Cemetery of Alto de São João, next to other prominent communists such as Bento Gonçalves, José Dias Coelho, and Militão Ribeiro.