EN: 16 March 1825 — Camilo Castelo Branco’s Birthday

Camilo Ferreira Botelho Castelo Branco was a portuguese writer, known for his extensive literary work, with over 260 books. He is one of the most important writers in Portuguese literature of the century XIX, and the first to live solely by his writings.

He had a troubled life, which often served as inspiration for his works. He became an orphan at a young age, which greatly affected him emotionally. Later, he had several love scandals involving multiple extramarital relationships. And, furthermore, he faced financial and health issues.

His writing, characterized by romanticism, an artistic and cultural movement that emerged on the century XVIII, privileges emotions. He explored subjects such as love, passion, destiny and suffering. His literary repertoire includes various genres such as novels, theater, poetry and chronicle. He became renowned for his romantic novels, many considered as classics of Portuguese literature. In 1851 he published his first romantic novel, ‘Anátema’ (en: Anathema), and since then many famous works followed such as: ‘Amor de Perdição’ (en: Love of Perdition), ‘A Queda de um Anjo’ (en: The Fall of an Angel), ‘Eusébio Macário’ and ‘Onde Está a Felicidade?’ (en: Where Is Happiness).

In 1865 he began to develop sigh problems and, distressed and desperate due to this condition which prevented him from writing, he ended his life with a gunshot from a revolver.