Portuguese literature, the body of writing in the Portuguese language produced by the peoples of Portugal, which includes the Madeira Islands and the Azores. The literature of Portugal is distinguished by a wealth and variety of lyric poetry, which has characterized it from the beginning of its language, after the Roman occupation; by its wealth of historical writing documenting Portugal’s rulers, conquests, and expansion; by the moral and allegorical Renaissance drama of Gil Vicente; by Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads), the 16th-century national epic of Luís de Camões; by the 19th-century realist novels of José Maria de Eça de Queirós; by
Portuguese literature, the body of writing in the Portuguese language produced by the peoples of Portugal, which includes the Madeira Islands and the Azores. The literature of Portugal is distinguished by a wealth and variety of lyric poetry, which has characterized it from the beginning of its language, after the Roman occupation; by its wealth of historical writing documenting Portugal’s rulers, conquests, and expansion; by the moral and allegorical Renaissance drama of Gil Vicente; by Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads), the 16th-century national epic of Luís de Camões; by the 19th-century realist novels of José Maria de Eça de Queirós; by