

Various works have been translated in various countries and some were adapted to the cinema, such as Francisca, Vale Abraão and As Terras de Risco by Manoel de Oliveira. She is a member of the Academie Européenne des Sciences, des Arts et des Lettres in Paris, of the Academia Brasileira de Letras and the Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, being also recognized at Ordem de Sant'Iago da Espada (1980), Medalha de Honra da Cidade do Porto (1988) and degree of "Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres", given by the French government (1989). Between 19 she was the director of D.Maria II Theatre in Lisbon and a member of the Alta Autoridade para a Comunicação Social. In 1958, she gave her first steps in theatre, writing the play O inseparável.īetween 19 she was the director of the diary O Primeiro de Janeiro in Oporto. In 1952 her talent was recognized with the award Delfim de Guimarães, for her book Sibila, which also received the award Eça de Queirós the next year. She started writing at the age of 16 and in 1950 she published her first novel, Mundo Fechado. She married Alberto Oliveira Luís in 1945 and after 1948 she moved to Oporto.

She lived her childhood and teenagehood in the region of Douro, Minho and then Coimbra in 1948. Her father's family was from the north of Portugal and her mother was Spanish. Agustina Bessa-Luís was born in Vila Meã (Amarante) in 1922.
