Castro Alves
Encyclopedia
Antônio Frederico de Castro Alves (March 14, 1847 — July 6, 1871) was a Brazil
ian poet and playwright, famous for his Abolitionist
and Republican
poems. One of the most famous poets of the "Condorism
", he won the epithet
of "O Poeta dos Escravos" ("Slaves' Poet").
He is the patron of the 7th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
.
ian State of Bahia
, to Antônio José Alves, a medician, and Clélia Brasília da Silva Castro, daughter of José Antônio da Silva Castro (a.k.a. "Periquitão"), a proeminent fighter in the 1821-1823 Siege of Salvador
. In 1853, he was sent to study in the Colégio Sebrão, run by Abílio César Borges, the Baron of Macaúbas
. There, he would meet and befriend Ruy Barbosa
.
In 1862 he moved to Recife
in order to study at the Faculdade de Direito do Recife
, but he was disapproved twice. He only was able to enter the college in 1864, where he met Tobias Barreto and José Bonifácio the Young
, who would be heavily influenced by him. His father would die in 1866, and short after, he would start dating the Portuguese actress Eugênia Câmara
.
In 1867, Alves returns to Bahia alongside Câmara, and there he writes his drama
Gonzaga, ou A Revolução de Minas. In the following year, he and Câmara would go to São Paulo
, where Alves entered the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo
and once more would meet Ruy Barbosa. His play Gonzaga would be performed on the end of 1868, being well-received by the critics, but Alves was sad due to the breakup with Eugênia Câmara.
During a hunting
in the same year, Alves received an accidental shot in his left foot, that had to be amputated
due to the menace of a gangrene
. He would spend the year of 1870 in Bahia
, trying to recover from the tuberculosis
he got while in São Paulo
. Also in 1870, Alves published the poetry book Espumas Flutuantes
— the only work he would publish during his lifetime. All his other works would receive a posthumous publication.
Alves' attempts to mitigate the tuberculosis were in vain; he would die on July 6, 1871, in the city of Salvador
, Bahia
, at 24 years old.
Alves also translated into Portuguese
many poems by Victor Hugo
, and Lord Byron's "Darkness" and "Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed from a Skull". They can be found on Espumas Flutuantes.
film Vendaval Maravilhoso, loosely based on Jorge Amado
's 1941
book ABC de Castro Alves, and by Bruno Garcia
in Sílvio Tendler's 1999
documentary
Castro Alves: Retrato-Falado do Poeta.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian poet and playwright, famous for his Abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
and Republican
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
poems. One of the most famous poets of the "Condorism
Condorism
Condorism was a Brazilian literary movement that occurred during the 1860s, 1870s and the first years of the 1880s. It is a subdivision of Brazilian Romanticism, being thus called "the third phase of Brazilian Romanticism", preceded by the Indianism and the Ultra-Romanticism...
", he won the epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
of "O Poeta dos Escravos" ("Slaves' Poet").
He is the patron of the 7th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
Academia Brasileira de Letras
Academia Brasileira de Letras is a Brazilian literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century by a group of 40 writers and poets inspired by the Académie Française. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on December 15, 1896, with the statutes being...
.
Life
Alves was born in the town of Curralinho (renamed "Castro Alves" in his honor in 1900), in the BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian State of Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, to Antônio José Alves, a medician, and Clélia Brasília da Silva Castro, daughter of José Antônio da Silva Castro (a.k.a. "Periquitão"), a proeminent fighter in the 1821-1823 Siege of Salvador
Siege of Salvador
The Siege of Salvador occurred during the Brazilian War of Independence, during which the Brazilian Army, under Pierre Labatut, attempted to capture the city of Salvador in Bahia from its Portuguese Army defenders. The siege lasted from 2 March 1822 until 2 July 1823, finally ending when the...
. In 1853, he was sent to study in the Colégio Sebrão, run by Abílio César Borges, the Baron of Macaúbas
Macaúbas
Macaúbas is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil. Its population in 2004 was 45 301 inhabitants. The municipality covers an area of 3039 km ². It lies in the call Physiographic Zone of the Serra Geral, the Chapada Diamantina Southern microregion...
. There, he would meet and befriend Ruy Barbosa
Ruy Barbosa
Ruy Barbosa de Oliveira was a Brazilian writer, jurist, and politician.Born in Salvador da Bahia, he was a federal representative, senator, Minister of Finance and diplomat. For his distinguished participation in the Hague Peace Conference of 1907, he earned the nickname "Eagle of the Hague"...
.
In 1862 he moved to Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
in order to study at the Faculdade de Direito do Recife
Faculdade de Direito do Recife
The Faculty of Law of Recife, now called Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Pernambuco , is a law school in the city of Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil.-History:It is one of the first superior education centres created in Brazil; it was created...
, but he was disapproved twice. He only was able to enter the college in 1864, where he met Tobias Barreto and José Bonifácio the Young
José Bonifácio the Young
José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, nicknamed The Young , was a French-born Brazilian poet, teacher and senator...
, who would be heavily influenced by him. His father would die in 1866, and short after, he would start dating the Portuguese actress Eugênia Câmara
Eugênia Câmara
Eugênia Câmara was a Portuguese actress, active in both Portugal and Brazil. As well as for her own artistic achievements, she is remembered for her affair with, and influence upon, the famous Brazilian poet Castro Alves.- References :...
.
In 1867, Alves returns to Bahia alongside Câmara, and there he writes his drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
Gonzaga, ou A Revolução de Minas. In the following year, he and Câmara would go to São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, where Alves entered the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo
Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo
Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo is an institution of higher education and research in the field of Law located in São Paulo, Brazil...
and once more would meet Ruy Barbosa. His play Gonzaga would be performed on the end of 1868, being well-received by the critics, but Alves was sad due to the breakup with Eugênia Câmara.
During a hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
in the same year, Alves received an accidental shot in his left foot, that had to be amputated
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
due to the menace of a gangrene
Gangrene
Gangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
. He would spend the year of 1870 in Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, trying to recover from the tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
he got while in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. Also in 1870, Alves published the poetry book Espumas Flutuantes
Espumas Flutuantes
Espumas Flutuantes is a 1870 poetry book by Brazilian Romantic poet Castro Alves. It would be the only work Alves would publish during his lifetime, because of his premature death from tuberculosis one year later. It is one of his most famous poetry books; the other one is Os Escravos, published...
— the only work he would publish during his lifetime. All his other works would receive a posthumous publication.
Alves' attempts to mitigate the tuberculosis were in vain; he would die on July 6, 1871, in the city of Salvador
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
, Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, at 24 years old.
Works
- Espumas FlutuantesEspumas FlutuantesEspumas Flutuantes is a 1870 poetry book by Brazilian Romantic poet Castro Alves. It would be the only work Alves would publish during his lifetime, because of his premature death from tuberculosis one year later. It is one of his most famous poetry books; the other one is Os Escravos, published...
(18701870 in literatureThe year 1870 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Thomas Bailey Aldrich - The Story of a Bad Boy*Thomas Archer - The Terrible Sights of London*Rhoda Broughton - Red as a rose is she...
) - Gonzaga, ou A Revolução de Minas (18751875 in literatureThe year 1875 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*October 1 - American poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe is reburied in Westminster Hall and Burying Ground with a larger memorial marker. Some controversy arose years later as to whether the correct body was exhumed.*...
) - A Cachoeira de Paulo Afonso (18761876 in literatureThe year 1876 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*William Harrison Ainsworth**Chetwynd Calverley**The Leaguer of Lathom*Louisa May Alcott - Rose in Bloom*Machado de Assis - Helena*Rhoda Broughton - Joan...
) - Vozes d'África (18801880 in literatureThe year 1880 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Henry Adams - Democracy: An American Novel *Rhoda Broughton - Second Thoughts*Wilkie Collins - Jezebel's Daughter...
) - O Navio Negreiro (18801880 in literatureThe year 1880 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Henry Adams - Democracy: An American Novel *Rhoda Broughton - Second Thoughts*Wilkie Collins - Jezebel's Daughter...
) - Os Escravos (18831883 in literatureThe year 1883 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Mary Elizabeth Braddon - Phantom Fortune*Rhoda Broughton - Belinda*Wilkie Collins - Heart and Science*Jonas Lie - Familien paa Gilje ...
)
Alves also translated into Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
many poems by Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, and Lord Byron's "Darkness" and "Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed from a Skull". They can be found on Espumas Flutuantes.
Representations in popular culture
Alves was portrayed by Paulo Maurício in the 19491949 in film
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
film Vendaval Maravilhoso, loosely based on Jorge Amado
Jorge Amado
Jorge Leal Amado de Faria was a Brazilian writer of the Modernist school. He was the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in film, notably Dona Flor and her Two Husbands in 1978...
's 1941
1941 in literature
The year 1941 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Frank Herbert marries Flora Parkinson.*F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished work, The Last Tycoon, is edited and published by Edmund Wilson.-New books:...
book ABC de Castro Alves, and by Bruno Garcia
Bruno Garcia
Bruno Garcia da Silva is a Brazilian film, television and stage actor.-Filmography:*2006 - Saneamento Básico*2006 - Cleópatra*2005 - Sal de Prata*2003 - Bala na marca do Pênalti...
in Sílvio Tendler's 1999
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
Castro Alves: Retrato-Falado do Poeta.