I write theater to put words in the now, in the world, moving. Words that want things and fall on their faces. I write plays because theater is the territory where ideas and images mix in a funnier, more delicate way. I write theater also because I love actors. They teach me how to write — always looking for that place where everything is commonly mysterious and amazingly clear.
Jacinto Lucas Pires was born in Porto in 1974 and lives in Lisbon. He is a writer and a playwright. Oração a que Faltam Joelhos [Prayer Lacking Any Knees], his latest novel, came out in 2020 (by Porto Editora). It won the John Dos Passos Award.
The True Actor (published in the US by Dzanc, translation by Jaime Braz and Dean Thomas Ellis) won the 2013 Domingos da Silva Teixeira Distinguished Literature Award for the best book published in Portugal in the past two years. Lucas Pires also won the prestigious Prémio Europa / David Mourão-Ferreira (Bari University, Italy / Instituto Camões, Portugal) in 2008.
Doutor Doente [Doctor Disease], a stories collection, was published in 2021 (by Húmus). Ser ator em Portugal [Being an actor in Portugal], a non-fiction book (published by Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos), and Faz diferença [The difference it makes], a picture book with illustration by Alice Piaggio (published by Bruaá), came out in 2022.
Jacinto Lucas Pires has written five novels, three short-story collections and three non-fiction books.
He has written several theater plays, staged by different groups — such as Universos e frigoríficos (Universes and refrigerators, 1998, APA/CCB, directed by Manuel Wiborg), Escrever, falar (Writing, speaking, 2001, Lilástico), Figurantes (Extras, 2004, Teatro Nacional São João), Exactamente Antunes (Exactly Antunes, 2011, Teatro Nacional São João), Interpretação (Interpretation, 2014, Culturgest / Mundo Perfeito), Agora (Now, 2018, Ninguém). Aberto 24 Horas [Open 24 Hours], his latest play, was staged in 2022 by Ensemble, and directed by Jorge Pinto.
Jacinto Manupela is his musical alter ego (on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.).