Bernardo Guimarães

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Bernardo Guimarães
Bernardo Guimarães

Bernardo Guimarães was a Brazilian poet and novelist, born at Ouro Preto August 15, 1825. His 1875 Isaura the Slave has been compared to Uncle Tom's Cabin in its importance to an abolitionist movement. It is the only abolitionist novel of Brazilian Literature. Other works by him include O Garimpeiro and O Índio Afonso.

B. Guimarães has written more than 120 romantic poems, including two famous erotic O Elixir do Pajé e a Origem do Mênstruo

He was married to Teresa Maria Gomes de Lima and both had eight children: João Nabor, Horácio, Constança, Isabel, Afonso, José, Bernardo e Pedro. João Nabor died when he was 10 years old. Afonso adopted his surname Silva-Guimarães as novelist and published Os Borrachos.

Former Magistrate and Journalist, he abandoned his careers to became one of the first Brazilian writers exclusively dedicated to his literature. It is also remarkable that he became one of the firsts Brazilian writers that has lived only of his literature earnings.

He died in March 10, 1884, at Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais. He founded a long literature dinasty, among then it can be mentioned: Silva Guimarães, Alphonsus de Guimaraes, Alphonsus de Guimaraes Filho, João Alphonsus.

Three of his novels have been turned in to movies: a silent film O Garimpeiro (film), (1920), A Escrava Isaura (Isaura the Slave ) first in 1929 and remaked in 1949; "O Seminarista" (1977), directed by Geraldo Santos Pereira and produced by Lynxfilm-Vila Rica Cinematográfica-Embrafilmes.

Studies appoint that his work is singular in Brazilian Romantic Period because each of his novels focus one aspect of Brazilian social and Economy life during Imperial Regimen. According to these studies he has researched and used in his literature many regional and idiomatic expressions which has contributed to the enrichment of Portuguese spoken in Brazil.


[Isaura the Slave] the soap opera produced in Brazil in 1976 by Rede Globo was exhibited at more than 100 countries.


[edit] External links

See also...
Media at Wikimedia Commons
Works at Domínio Público
Works at Dominio Público
Works at Cervantes Virtual

[edit] In Portuguese

[edit] In English