Casimiro José Marques de Abreu (January 4, 1839 – October 18, 1860) was a Brazilian poet, novelist and playwright, adept of the "
Ultra-Romanticism Ultra-Romanticism ( pt, Ultrarromantismo) was a Portuguese and Brazilian literary movement that took place during the second half of the 19th. Aesthetically similar to (but not exactly the same as) the German- and British-originated Dark Romantici ...
" movement. He is famous for the poem "Meus oito anos".
He is patron of the 6th chair of the
Brazilian Academy of Letters.
In 1999 Casimiro de Abreu's headstone was broken by an unnamed person
Life
Casimiro de Abreu was born on January 4, 1839, in the city of Barra de São João (renamed "Casimiro de Abreu" in his honor in 1925), to rich
Portuguese farmers José Joaquim Marques de Abreu and Luísa Joaquina das Neves. He received only a basic education at Instituto Freeze, in
Nova Friburgo, where he met and befriended
Pedro Luís Pereira de Sousa
Pedro Luís Pereira de Sousa (December 13, 1839 – July 16, 1884) was a Brazilian poet, politician, orator and lawyer, adept of the " Condorist" movement. He is the patron of the 31st chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
Life
Pedro Luís ...
. Following orders of his father, he moved to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
in 1852 to dedicate himself to commerce, an activity which he hated.
With his father, he travelled to
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
in 1853. There he began his literary career, writing for many newspapers (such as ''O Progresso'' and ''Ilustração Luso-Brasileira'') and collaborating with
Alexandre Herculano and
Luís Augusto Rebelo da Silva, among others. During his stay in Portugal, he wrote his first works: the theater play ''
Camões e o Jau'' (influenced by
Almeida Garrett's poem ''Camões''), the novel ''Carolina'', published under ''
feuilleton'' form, and the first chapters of a novel which he would never finish: ''Camila''.
In 1857, he returned to Rio, where he became a collaborator for the newspapers ''A Marmota'', ''O Espelho'', ''Revista Popular'' and ''Correio Mercantil''. While working for the latter, he met
Manuel Antônio de Almeida and
Machado de Assis
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (), often known by his surnames as Machado de Assis, ''Machado,'' or ''Bruxo do Cosme Velho''Vainfas, p. 505. (21 June 1839 – 29 September 1908), was a pioneer Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short stor ...
.
In 1859, he published his most famous work, the poetry book ''As Primaveras'' (''Springtimes''). Its publication was financed by his father, although he disapproved Casimiro's literary vocation.
Suffering from
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
, Casimiro moved to
Nova Friburgo in order to recover, but he died at age 21 on October 18, 1860.
Works
* ''Camões e o Jau'' (1856)
* ''Carolina'' (1856)
* ''Camila'' (unfinished novel — 1856)
* ''A Virgem Loura: Páginas do Coração'' (1857)
* ''
As Primaveras'' (1859)
External links
Casimiro de Abreu's biography at the official site of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abreu, Casimiro de
1839 births
1860 deaths
Brazilian male poets
Romantic poets
Brazilian people of Portuguese descent
Patrons of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
People from Rio de Janeiro (state)
19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
Portuguese-language writers
19th-century Brazilian poets
19th-century Brazilian dramatists and playwrights
Tuberculosis deaths in Rio de Janeiro (state)
Brazilian male dramatists and playwrights
19th-century Brazilian male writers