Corsino Fortes is a poet and a diplomat. Born on the Cape Verdean island of São Vicente in 1933, his early work appeared in Claridade (Clarity), a journal that defined Cape Verdean literary identity from the later 1930s to 1960. Fortes » first full poetry collection Pao & Fonema (Bread & Phoneme) was published in 1974. The poet »s use of Cape Verdean Creole – and not just standard Portuguese – is a powerful statement reinforcing the idea of the islands » distinctive African nature. Fortes studied in Portugal and spent much of his life abroad on diplomatic service – most notably in Angola and Lisbon.