Tomás António Gonzaga

Tomás António Gonzaga
A drawing of Gonzaga
Born	11 August 1744(1744-08-11) Miragaia, Porto, Portugal
Died	1810 (aged 65–66) Island of Mozambique, Portuguese Colony of Mozambique
Pen name	Dirceu
Occupation	Poet, jurist, activist
Nationality	Portuguese
Alma mater	University of Coimbra
Literary movement	Neoclassicism
Notable work(s)	Marília de Dirceu, Cartas Chilenas
Spouse(s)	Juliana de Sousa Mascarenhas
Children	Ana Mascarenhas Gonzaga, Alexandre Mascarenhas Gonzaga
Influences Anacreon, Theocritus, Petrarch, Enlightenment, Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Tomás António Gonzaga (11 August 1744 – 1810?) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian poet. One of the most famous Neoclassic colonial Brazilian writers, he was also the ouvidor and the ombudsman of the city of Ouro Preto (formerly "Vila Rica"), as well as the desembargador of the appeal court in Bahia. He wrote under the pen name Dirceu.

He is patron of the 37th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

Biography

Gonzaga was born in Miragaia, Porto, to João Bernardo Gonzaga and Tomásia Isabel Clark. As a child, the family moved to Recife and to Bahia, where João Bernardo served at the magistrature. Gonzaga was sent back to Portugal as a teenager, to the University of Coimbra, to finish his studies. With 24 years, he finished his Law course. He presented himself as a candidate for a chair at the University, with the thesis Tratado de Direito Natural.

He became the juiz-de-fora of the city of Beja in 1778, until 1781. In the following year, he returned to Brazil, becoming the ouvidor of the city of Vila Rica (nowadays Ouro Preto).

He followed this post until 1789, when he was accused of being involved with the Minas Conspiracy. Arrested, he was sent to a prison in Ilha das Cobras, Rio de Janeiro. He spent three years in there, when he was given the sentence of an exile in the Island of Mozambique. By that time, he was engaged to a woman named Maria Doroteia Joaquina de Seixas, possibly the "Marília" of his verses. This nostalgia of his love and his freedom can be seen in the second part of his poetry book Marília de Dirceu.

Arriving at Mozambique, he was charitably received by a wealthy Portuguese gentleman. He then married his daughter, Juliana de Sousa Mascarenhas, having with her two children: Ana and Alexandre.

Gonzaga had a wealthy and happy life during his exile, becoming a lawyer. He died circa 1810.

Works

• Marília de Dirceu (poetry book — 1792)
• Cartas Chilenas (discontinued series of satirical poems — 1863)

Representations in popular culture

• Gonzaga was portrayed in many Brazilian telenovels and films. He was portrayed by Gianfrancesco Guarnieri in telenovel Dez Vidas (1969); by Luiz Linhares in the film Os Inconfidentes (1972) and by Eduardo Galvão in the film Tiradentes (1999).

• In the 1984 children's book A Ladeira da Saudade, by Brazilian author Ganymédes José, Gonzaga's unrequited love by Maria Doroteia is explored on a more modern context.

External links

• Works by Gonzaga at Project Gutenberg (Portuguese)
• Gonzaga's biography at the official site of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (Portuguese)

Preceded by New creation

Brazilian Academy of Letters - Patron of the 37th chair

Succeeded by José Júlio da Silva Ramos (founder)