Fictitious letters published anonymously in 1669 under title Lettres portugaises and formerly attributed to Marianna Alcoforado. In 1810 Boissonade discovered her name written in a copy of the ed. of 1669 by a contemporary hand. The names of the addressee, Marquis de Chamilly, and of the translator, "Cuilleraque" (i.e. Lavergne de Guilleragues) are mentioned in the prologue to the "Lettres d'amour d'une religieuse escrites au chevalier de C. officier françois en Portugal. A Cologne. Chez Pierre du Marteau, 1669," and in some of the later editions. B. Mercier, abbé de St. Léger, in the ed. of the "Lettres portugaises," Paris 1796, attributes the translation to A.T.P. de Subligny. The publication of the letters was followed in the same year by another series of seven letters, written, according to the preface, by "une femme du monde" (Mme de Pédégache? cf. Barbier, and Cordeiro) This second series was pub. by C. Barbin under the title "Lettres portugaises. Seconde partie" and generally accompanies the reprint or second edition of the first series, pub. by C. Barbin in 1669, seven months after the first ed. The title "Lettres d'une religieuse portugaise, Traduites en françois. Seconde partie," under which this series appeared Cologne, P. du Marteau [1669?] probably led to the assumption that both were by the same writer, and caused the confusion found in later editions.
A series of five letters in response to those of the Portuguese nun, appeared under the title "Réponses aux Lettres portugaises, traduites en françois," in the same year 1669, with a license, dated Feb. 3. They were pub. at Paris by J.B. Loyson, and were written, according to the preface, by the lover of the nun in Portuguese, but did not reach their destination. The writer of the preface professes to be ignorant of the names of the author and translator. In the license it is said that the letters were translated by Sieur D.F.D.M.
A different collection of answers consisting of six letters appeared Grenoble, C. Philippes, 1669, under the title "Réponses aux Lettres portugaises." The unknown author of this series declares in his preface that his letters are merely a literary exercise, in purpose similar to Aulus Sabinus' answers to Ovid's Heroides. cf. Cordeiro, Soror Marianna. 2. ed. Lisboa [1891]
The present ed. is the first to combine the two series, both of the letters and of the answers. The first part is preceded by the prologue to the ed. Cologne, P. du Marteau, 1669, containing the names of the addressee and of the translator. The letters of the "femme du monde" (1-7, p. 5-41) precede those of the Portuguese nun (8-12, p. 41-84) The 2d part has half-title "Responces du chevalier de C. aux Lettres d'amour d'une religieuse en Portugal. Edition nouvelle." The letters pub. by J.B. Loyson (1-5, p. 89-146) are preceded by the preface to that series and followed by the answers of the 2d collection (6-11, p. 147-192)