Eça de Queiroz he is one of the greatest representatives of Portuguese literature. The grandeur of his work was not restricted to the domains of Portugal, as the writer reached, through his books, other parts of the world, mainly Brazil. Around here, his titles are popular, and many of them were adapted for television and cinema, which proves the great connection between Eça and the Brazilian reader.
Biography of Eça de Queiroz
The harmony between the writer and Brazil is not a matter of chance or just the fault of the common language: Eça de Queiroz is the son of a Portuguese woman and a Brazilian. His grandfather, José Joaquim de Queiroz e Almeida, took refuge in Rio de Janeiro during the liberal struggles, and it was during this period, in the year 1820, that the novelist's father was born. Eça was born in Póvoa do Varzim, Portugal, on November 25, 1845. He studied law at the University of Coimbra, as did his father. It was during his studies that he met another important name in Portuguese literature, the writer Antero de Quental. He started to publish his first texts in the magazine “Gazeta de Portugal”, already showing his alignment with the Portuguese realist school. He graduated in 1866 and practiced as a lawyer and journalist in Lisbon, having directed the periodical
The District of Évora and collaborated in periodical publications such as Feira da Ladra, The press and Ribaltas and Gambiarras.In 1870, while working as administrator of the municipality of Leiria, he wrote his first realistic novel, one of his greatest successes as a writer: The crime of Father Amaro, work published in 1875. Two years earlier, in 1873, he had embarked on a diplomatic career, serving as consul of Portugal in the Cuban capital, Havana. It was in London, however, that his literary career took shape, as it was between 1874 and 1878, while representing Portugal in the cities of Newcastle and Bristol, which he wrote his most important books. In 1888 he was appointed consul in Paris, at which time he became friends with the Brazilian writer, the greatest representative of Parnassianism, olavo bilac.
He married in 1885, at the age of forty, to Emília de Castro, with whom he had four children. He died at the age of 54, in Paris, on August 16, 1900. His death caused a great commotion not only in Portugal, but also in Brazil, a country with which he has always maintained close relations. His work remains alive and current, captivating readers around the world with his unrivaled prose.
Characteristics of the work by Eça de Queiroz
The work of Eça de Queiroz can be studied from the understanding of three different phases. The first reveals a writer who is still very much influenced by Portuguese romanticism, but attentive to the realist school. In the second phase, his narratives are already aligned with Realism and during this period he wrote his most important titles, among them The crime of Father Amaro, the cousin basil and The Mayans. In the third and final phase, realism gave way to more imaginative texts that tested the limits of literary style.
O Father Amaro's crime is considered by many scholars the starting point of Realism in Portugal. His criticisms of society, the clergy and also the country itself were viewed with reservations by the public and academia. In Brazil, Machado de Assis, who had not yet made the transition from Romanticism to Realism, was one of his greatest critics. However, the influence that Eça's ironic language exerted on the second phase of Eça's career is undeniable. Machado de Assis, considered the greatest representative of Brazilian Realism and also the greatest name in our literature.
Eça de Queiroz was a journalist, lawyer and consul, but it was literature that immortalized him as one of the most important writers in Portugal
Bibliography by Eça de Queiroz
The Mystery of the Sintra Road (1870);
The Crime of Father Amaro (1875);
The Tragedy of Rua das Flores (1877-78);
The Cousin Basil (1878);
The Mandarin (1880);
The Mines of Solomon (1885);
The Relic (1887);
The Mayans (1888);
A Joyful Campaign (1890-91);
Correspondence by Fradique Mendes (1900);
The Illustrious House of Ramires (1900);
The City and the Mountains (1901, posthumous);
Tales (1902, posthumous);
Barbarian Proses (1903, posthumous);
Letters from England (1905, posthumous);
Echoes of Paris (1905, posthumous);
Family letters and notes from Paris (1907, posthumous);
Contemporary Notes (1909, posthumous);
Last pages (1912, posthumous);
The Capital (1925, posthumous);
The Count of Abranhos (1925, posthumous);
Alves & Companhia (1925, posthumous);
Correspondence (1925, posthumous);
Egypt (1926, posthumous);
Unpublished letters by Fradique Mendes (1929, posthumous);
Eça de Queirós among his - Letters intimate (1949, posthumous).
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/literatura/eca-queiroz.htm