With a germanic philology degree, Maria was a high school teacher and member (and later president) of the "Associação Portuguesa de Escritores", the portuguese authors association. She was deputy secretary of state for culture in 1979 and was second in charge for the cultural theme for Cabo Verde from 1988 to 1991 and now work for the "Instituto Camões" (Camões Institute). She had regular contribution to movie scripts, particularly in films by João César Monteiro, Margarida Gil and Alberto Seixas Santos. She was involved in the conception of a controversial book with the title "Novas Cartas Portuguesas" in 1969 with other two authors (Maria Teresa Horta and Maria Isabel Barreno, the three Marias) in wich the plot criticized the traditional position of women in social life and indirectly criticized the fascist government. Books: Novas Cartas Portuguesas (with Maria Teresa Horta e Maria Isabel Barreno), Irene ou o Contrato Social, O Amante do Crato, O Livro do Meio (com Armando Silva Carvalho) She won the Vergílio Ferreira prize in 1997 and the Camões Prize in 2002.