Literatura y conocimiento: Enciclopédia da Estória Universal, de Afonso Cruz

The Enciclopédia da Estória Universal, which received the Camilo Castelo Branco Short Story Grand Prize (Municipality of Vila Verde / APE), is the title of a singular work that Afonso Cruz (b. 1971) published in 2009. It was the first of a series in which the author subsequently published two volumes, titled Recolha de Alexandria (2012) and Arquivos de Dresner (2013). The title, by its use of the lexeme “story,” immediately marks the special character of this “encyclopedia”, which eludes categorization as any one type of discourse. In this article we will try to demonstrate how the literary discourse of this Enciclopédia is nourished by discourses (of philosophy, history, anthropology, etc.) that aim to improve the reader’s knowledge of human beings and of the world, and to educate the reader for citizenship. These volumes, whose contents are interdisciplinary, appeal to the reader’s curiosity and sensitivity; value individual and collective responsibility; and develop the reader’s ability to read the world through multiple and alternative languages. As it is structured according to the official principles governing pedagogical practices in primary, secondary, and higher educational institutions, this encyclopedia can be a good source of reading and reflection in any educational institution.