In the quiet elegance of Chiado’s Squares is a marble monument captures the essence of Portugal’s greatest realist. Inaugurated in 1903, the statue of Eça de Queirós surely raises eyebrows. As it captures a dramatic scene of the author holding a naked woman in his hands.

Created by sculptor Teixeira Lopes, the naked woman represents "The Truth." Across the base, his famous philosophy is carved: "Over the strong nakedness of Truth, the transparent mantle of Fantasy." A metaphor for his writingstyle. A critique toward policies., while also masking it in fiction. Standing tucked away from the main tourist rush, the statue remains a silent reminder that a great writer’s job isn't to comfort, but to unmask.