Exílio: uma história em três dimensões // [Exile: one history in three dimensions]

In the 20th century the rise of fascist regimes results in large numbers of opponents seeking exile trying to flee death by summary execution or confinement in concentration camps. Portugal experiences one of the longest lasting dictatorships, which imposed on its opponents a long exile, which for most lasted their entire lives. These exiles and emigrants sought refuge in several parts of the world, either in the former emigrant centres or in countries where a democratic state favoured their stay. And of the life stories demand a rehabilitation of several 'historical spaces', in the case of these exiles these 'spaces' have another dimension. To the local dimension, origin and building of the characters and the context of 'national' where they are inserted in a moment of maturity, one can add another, a supranational one, that is, the history of the host countries, a basis for the understanding of the relationships established during the exile. Taking the Portuguese case as a starting point, this paper is meant to highlight some important points in the writing of the exiles' biographies, taking into account the necessity of cross checking the three aforementioned spaces, the rereading of the already produced historiography and the problems of 'official memory'.

Keywords: biographies; exiles; historiography.