Camões eBook

Born in Porto on February 4, 1799, João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett was one of the most complete writers in the Portuguese literary landscape. A graduate in Law from the University of Coimbra, he supported the liberal revolution of 1820 in his final year of studies, consequently going into exile in England and France. During this period of isolation, he published the two founding works of Portuguese Romanticism: Camões (1825) and Ms. White (1826). However, it is after his definitive return to Portugal in 1836 that he proves most prolific, writing a body of work, among which the tragic play stands out. Friar Luís de Sousa (1843), the unclassifiable Travels in My Homeland (1846), or the daring verses of Fallen Leaves (1853). Allied to the writer is also Garrett, the civic man, who contributed to the drafting of the 1838 Constitution, founded the Conservatory of Dramatic Art and spearheaded the project to build the D. Maria II National Theatre. Almeida Garrett died in Lisbon on December 9, 1854.