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1st Int. Transborder Conf. of the Timor Island: Timor %u2013 Science without borderDili, 7-8 May 2025148Timorese Masculinity Represented in the Works of Lu%u00eds Cardoso: An Analysis on %u201cThe Pumpkin Planter%u201dMarcos A. AmaralUniversidade Nacional Timor Lorosa%u00b4e, Timor-LesteAbstractThe emergence of written literature in Timor-Leste has its roots in the oral traditions passed down by previous generations. The ancestors of the Timorese people preserved their cultural and historical narratives through oral literature, which now forms the foundation of the written literature produced by and for current and future generations. This study explored the essence of East Timorese literature as reflected in the works of Lu%u00eds Cardoso Noronha, a pioneering Timorese chronicler, who presents Timor-Leste's history and identity to both local and international audiences through his novels. This abstract is part of a thesis entitled %u201cTimorese Masculinity Represented in the Works of Lu%u00eds Cardoso: An Analysis of %u2018The Pumpkin Planter%u2019%u201d, Cardoso%u2019s seventh and most recent novel, published by Abysmo in Portugal in 2020 and by Todavia in Brazil in 2022. While in exile in Portugal during the Indonesian occupation of Timor-Leste, Cardoso immersed himself in the history, culture, and literature of his homeland. In The Pumpkin Planter, subtitled Sonata for a Mist, Cardoso metaphorically addresses the centuries of foreign colonization and the East Timorese resistance. The narrative is framed through the voice of an anonymous Timorese woman%u2014possibly referred to as neblina or noiva mutin of Manu-Mutin%u2014who recounts the nation's history from a hundred years ago. Cardoso reinterprets her story in a feminine tone, employing rich metaphors and symbolic language to represent Timorese masculinity through figures such as the manu aman (rooster), assuwa%u2019in (warrior), and the archetype of the brave and extraordinary brother. The novel is interwoven with local Tetum terms%u2014bua (nut), malus (betel), ahu(lime), manu-mutin (white rooster), manu-metan (black rooster), manu-mean (red rooster), malae-metan (black-skinned foreigners), malae-mutin (white-skinned foreigners)%u2014which symbolize Timorese cultural identity shaped by historical experiences of colonization and resistance. These elements reflect the collective memory and cultural symbolism of the Timorese people in social, cultural, political, and historical contexts. This study employs a descriptive method and bibliographic content analysis, focusing particularly on The Pumpkin Planter. The analysis centers on passages where Cardoso uses roosters and cockfighting as central motifs, representing masculinity and the courage, spirit, and resistance of the Timorese people, who demonstrated their assuwa%u2019in across generations in the pursuit of independence. Cardoso's novels contribute not only to public understanding of Timor-Leste's colonial history but also to its linguistic and cultural identity. His use of Portuguese reflects the country%u2019s place within the Lusophone world, as affirmed by Brazilian writer Itamar Vieira J%u00fanior, who remarked that Cardoso's work reveals the power and adaptability of the Portuguese language across regions. The legacy of Portuguese colonization, which spanned nearly 450 years, and the subsequent 24-year Indonesian occupation, both mark periods of hardship and resilience in Timorese history. This enduring resistance is embodied in the symbolic figure of the Manu Aman.