Alayne Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Manuel Antônio Álvares de Azevedo (September 12, 1831 — April 25, 1852) was a Brazilian Romantic poet, short story writer, playwright and essayist. Adept of what was called in Brazil "Ultra-Romanticism", his work is characterized by heavy dualism and morbidity, what gave him the epithet of "the Brazilian Lord Byron". He is the patron of the second chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, and of the ninth chair of the Paulista Academy of Letters. Azevedo was born into a wealthy family in São Paulo City, on September 12, 1831. Son of Law student Inácio Manuel Álvares de Azevedo and Maria Luísa Azevedo, popular belief says that he was born in the library of the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo, but he was actually born on the farmhouse of his maternal grandfather, Severo Mota. He also had a younger brother, Inácio Manuel, Jr., but he died prematurely in 1835. The death proved to be an early source of shock for the young Álvares. In 1833, Álvares moved with his family to Rio de Janeiro, and in 1840 he entered the Colégio Stoll in the bairro of Botafogo, being an excellent student. In 1844, he temporarily returned to São Paulo with his uncle, going back to Rio in the following year, where he entered the Colégio Pedro II. Having graduated in 1846 from the Colégio Pedro II, he entered the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo in the following year, where he befriended the poets José Bonifácio the Younger (the step-grandson of famous Brazilian statesman José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva), Aureliano Lessa and Bernardo Guimarães. Alongside these poets, he founded the mythical "Sociedade Epicureia" ("Epicurean Society"), a club that promoted Epicureanism and Bohemianism as lifestyles, and he also planned a work in partnership with Lessa and Guimarães: the poetry book As Três Liras (in English: The Three Lyres). However, the project did not come to fruition; the only remaining part of the project today is the book Lira dos Vinte Anos. Because of his fragile health and the murky weather of São Paulo, Azevedo contracted tuberculosis. He quit his Law course and moved to his grandfather's farm in Rio in order to mitigate his disease; there he fell from a horse and contracted a gastric inflammation that resulted in his death at 20 on April 25, 1852. He was buried one day later at the Cemitério São João Batista. Works Due to his premature death, all of Álvares' works were published posthumously. Lira dos Vinte Anos (1853 — poetry anthology) Macário (1855 — theatre play) Noite na Taverna (1855 — short story book, under pen name Job Stern) O Conde Lopo (1886 — an epic poem that remains only in fragments today) Álvares also wrote many letters and essays, and translated into Portuguese Lord Byron's poem "Parisina" and William Shakespeare's Othello's fifth act. After this short description, I would like to know if you have already read something that was written by Álvares de Azevedo. If so, what do you think about his works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 No sorry am not familiar with Azevedo at all. I would probably want to read his short stories first to see if I liked him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alayne Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 I'll try to find it in English, otherwise I can try to translate You wanna read "Noite na Taverna", right? "Night in the Tavern" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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