Editorial data

Since 1909, Manuel de Sousa Pinto, a Brazilian-born Portuguese polymath who had previously directed the Arte & Vida magazine, João de Barros, his close friend and former co-director of the arts, criticism and science periodical, and João do Rio, the famous carioca journalist and columnist, started work on a monthly publication intended to bridge the distance between both oceanic shores and to lessen each other's continental idiosyncrasies. For this endeavour, Sousa Pinto suggested the title Atlântica.

However, six years passed before the idea came to fruition, not with the commercial backing of the reluctant Lello brothers, who were initially contacted by the three promoters, but with funding from Itamaraty and Necessidades (the Brazilian and Portuguese Foreign Affairs Ministries, respectively), at a time when historical bonds and migratory movements joined with celebrated republican affinities and common interests against the Pan-germanic threat.

Atlantida. Mensário Artístico, Literário e Social para Portugal e Brazil – the title finally agreed upon – first appeared on the stands on the 15th of November 1915. João do Rio, a pseudonym used by Paulo Barreto, was announced as the director for Brazil, with João de Barros as his counterpart for Portugal. Elísio de Campos took on the role of staff secretary, while Pedro Bordallo Pinheiro came on as editor. The magazine's offices were located at Rua Barata Salgueiro, 41, g/f, and the administration worked out of Largo do Conde Barão, 49. Imprensa Libanio Silva, located at Travessa do Fala-Só, 24, was responsible for Atlantida's typsetting and printing.

The magazine's political and cultural inclinations, as well as its vulnerability to the uncertainties of the powers that be, are well stated in the announcement of the "high sponsorship of Their Exc. the ministers for external relations of Brazil and for foreign affairs and development of Portugal" which occupied the first twenty five issues' opening page.

Atlantida's quality matched the institutional support that was received, both in regard to the collaboration of renowned writers, publicists, and illustrators, and the attention given to the choice of paper and typesetting.

Although the periodical materialized the intentions of intellectuals from both sides of the Atlantic, the mere fact that its headquarters and production infrastructure were located in Lisbon indicates the former metropolis' prevalence in the magazine. This was also reflected in the difficulties experienced in guaranteeing a consistent circulation outside the Portuguese borders, owing to shipping, customs, and distribution problems.

The fourth issue, dated 15th of February 1916, indicates the magazine's offices moved to the same postal address as the administration – Largo do Conde Barão, 49. This change was likely influenced by the fact that the Bordallo Pinheiro Lallemant photoengraving company was also located there and that Pedro Bordallo Pinheiro was the editor and backbone of the periodical.

The move was short lived; in June of the same year, the offices were again transferred, this time to central Chiado, Rua António Maria Cardoso, 26. The room used by the directors, writers, and other contributors was designed by Raul Lino and received a somewhat solemn opening. The American Telegraphic Agency, run by another of the magazine's collaborators, Moreira Teles, was located next door. The same site had formerly housed Manuel Gustavo Bordalo Pinheiro's studio and, shortly afterward, would be the home of Seara Nova's offices.

Meanwhile, João do Rio had set up the magazine's Brazilian administrative offices in Rio de Janeiro, at the cosmopolitan Avenida Rio Branco, 128, and successfully concluded negotiations for the South of Brazil with distributors, as announced in the December 1916 issue.

Featuring a monthly periodicity until the spring of 1918, Atlantida's issues of the following two years were irregular. The first double issue, justified by the recent typographer strikes, was published with a March-April 1918 date. The following issue expressed an attempt to regain a monthly format, but No. 32 appeared without a publication date, and the double issue that followed only gave the reader an indication of the year, 1919.

Even though the gap in publication for half of the intended 1918 issues was explained in the opening article of No. 33-34, which also mentions the "pitifulness of our resources", as being owed to "purely personal motives on the editor's part", it should be remembered that the defenders of the Portuguese participation in the war faced many adversities during the presidency of Sidónio Pais.

The aforementioned double issue, dedicated to the Allies' victory, also highlights some significant changes in the periodical's staff, namely the inclusion of Pedro Bordallo Pinheiro as technical director, Bourbon e Menezes as staff secretary, and José Baptista Águas as editor, while at the same time all staff and administrative activities were once again concentrated at Largo do Conde Barão, 49.

However, surviving for only two issues, the attempt to achieve a stable condition for the magazine proved to be precarious, since by the 1919 No. 37 issue, Atlantida underwent a final thorough renovation: its subtitle changed to Orgão do pensamento latino no Brasil e em Portugal, and three editorial directors were announced; Graça Aranha for France, João do Rio for Brazil, and João de Barros for Portugal. Nuno Simões takes on the role of managing director, and Sebastião Mesquita of editor. The staff and administration were transferred to the Bertrand library, at Rua Garrett, 73-75. Typesetting and printing continued to be executed at Imprensa Libanio da Silva until No. 40 – after that they switched to Tipografia do Anuário Comercial, located at Praça dos Restauradores, 24. Approximately at the same time, the magazine was bought by the publisher Editora Fulmen, Lda. A little later, by No. 41, Vergílio Correia was appointed staff secretary.

Ever since the first programmatic texts, the defense of a Latin civilization had been one of the most consistently upheld ideals in the periodical, in the sense that it encapsulated the universal values that bound the Portuguese and Brazilian peoples to each other and to those of a Classical heritage, in contrast with the lack of humanism displayed by the Slavic, German, and Saxon peoples. Notwithstanding, the changes experienced by the magazine in its last phase were mostly caused by the interruption of the initial backing, the difficulty in gaining a steady Brazilian readership, and the unfulfilled need to find new sources of funding.

The Allied solution would have also sufficed, had the Foreign Office funded the project; this, however, was not to be the case, as Ambassador Teixeira Gomes' efforts were ineffective.

Graça Aranha was more successful, having obtained not only funding from the propaganda department of the Quai d'Orsay but also the paying publicity of European companies with an eye toward the Brazilian market.

The final issues of Atlantida make it clear that the change to "organ for Latin thought" and to multilingualism – featuring articles in French, Italian, Spanish, and Galician – did not provoke a loss of character, since these hybrid excerpts were unable to reformulate the magazine's general content; on the other hand, this also meant the changes failed to achieve the new desired identity.

In issues 39 and 40, respectively published in June and July of 1919, we find one last attempt to return the magazine to a monthly format, a fundamental trait for a periodical that sought prestige and stable political and commercial support. The endeavour failed, even with the regular inclusion of advertisements and the publication of double issues.

The last two issues were published in 1920: No. 46-47, planned for publication on the 15th of February, where we see an announcement of João de Barros' departure from a directorial role; and, in the spring, No. 48.

At that time, the administration permanently abandoned Largo do Conde Barão, 49, and the magazine's offices left Rua Nova do Carmo, 35, 2º., which had been their home since No. 40.

Luís Andrade