The personal estate and library of Madeiran poet Herberto Helder, which the Regional Government of Madeira announced in 2019 they intended to acquire, have ultimately been distributed between Porto and Lisbon.
At the time, the Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture, Paula Cabaço, announced the executive's intention to purchase the estate, comprising hundreds of works, for the Atlantic History Studies Centre. However, the deal with the family did not materialize.
The author's personal collection, including around eight thousand volumes and translations, is now housed at the Palácio Galveias Library in Lisbon, in a dedicated room named after him. Over two thousand documents and images from his literary collection have been digitized and made available at the library of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto, with support from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Madeira is left with only public tributes, such as commemorative plaques in poor condition, causing frustration within the Madeiran cultural community regarding unfulfilled promises.