The materiality of typescripts in Pedro Homem de Mello’s writing practice

Abstract

This article addresses the main typewriting habits of Portuguese poet Pedro Homem de Mello (1904–1984), as evidenced in documents belonging to the family’s private estate and scattered collections owned by public archives and libraries. After examining his work in several spheres of activity (his personal and professional correspondence, his newspaper collaborations and essays as a folklorist, and his work as an author and presenter of TV and radio programs), the essay focuses on material aspects of Homem de Mello’s literary typescripts, such as page management strategies, the use of coloured ribbons, the occurrence of mechanical errors, or the combination of handwritten corrections and carbon-paper duplicators as a favoured revision technique. It concludes by interrogating how the author’s multimodal typewriting ecosystem may have contributed to stylistic changes in his poetry, catalysing freer modes of expression in the traditional forms of his choice.