Special book collection donated to Manchester Poetry Library by Consul General of Portugal

A special collection of Portuguese poetry was donated to the University’s Manchester Poetry Library during a visit by the Consul General of Portugal.

Duarte Bué Alves, Consul General of Portugal in Manchester, visited the University for a VIP event which celebrated Portuguese poetry, with the new additions boosting the 15,000-strong collection at the North West’s first public poetry library.

In return, Manchester Poetry Library gifted a collection of poetry books, all with a Manchester connection and written or edited by poets and novelists who teach at Manchester Met. The books will go to the ‘Manchester shelf’ in the library of the Fábrica da Criatividade – the Creativity Factory – in Castelo Branco, Portugal.

Recognising the strengths and successes of Manchester Poetry Library, the Consul General joined Manchester Met Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Press CBE for speeches and an official exchange of the poetry collections.

Professor Press told the event: “We are delighted to welcome Duarte Bué Alves and the consular community in Manchester and the North of England to our Poetry Library. It’s an honour to receive this extremely generous gift of Portuguese poetry, and we are delighted to reciprocate with a gift of a collection of poetry books to the Consulate.

“Our ambition is to represent all 200 languages spoken in Manchester in our collection. This is by its nature a collaborative enterprise and depends on the expertise and passion of each language community. This donation of Portuguese language poetry signals the beginning of a conversation with current and potential library members, from those whose mother tongue is Portuguese, to new learners and language enthusiasts. The connecting force is the poetry.” 

Duarte Bué Alves has also been the Deputy Permanent Representative of Portugal at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for more than 20 years. 

His visit to Manchester Poetry Library follows several previous University visits and meetings, including his front-row seat at the Manchester Fashion Institute Graduate Fashion Show in May. The connection between Manchester Met and the Consulate General was further strengthened on a visit to the Castelo Branco region in Portugal earlier this year.

The event was attended by other notable members of the consular community including Matteo Corradini, Consul of Italy in Manchester, the Consul General of Ireland to the North of England, the Consul General of the Czech Republic in Manchester, a Consul of the Consulate General of Romania in Manchester, the Honorary Consul of Brazil in Manchester, the Lord Mayor of the City of Manchester, and UK-based Portuguese writer Isabel Mateus, who gave a talk on Portuguese literature.

Since opening in September 2021, Manchester Poetry Library has welcomed over 20,000 visitors in person to the space, with many thousands of people actively engaging with its online presence.