Cláudio Manuel da Costa | |
|---|---|
 Fictional depiction of Cláudio Manuel da Costa | |
| Born | (1729-06-04)4 June 1729 |
| Died | 4 July 1789(1789-07-04) (aged 60) |
| Pen name | Glauceste Satúrnio |
| Occupation | Poet,jurist,activist,lawyer |
| Nationality | Portuguese Empire |
| Alma mater | University of Coimbra |
| Literary movement | Neoclassicism |
| Notable works | Vila Rica,Obras Poéticas de Glauceste Satúrnio |
Cláudio Manuel da Costa (June 4, 1729 – July 4, 1789) was a Brazilian poet and musician, considered to be the introducer ofNeoclassicism in Brazil. He wrote under thepen nameGlauceste Satúrnio, and his most famous work is theepic poemVila Rica, that tells the history of the homonymous city, nowadays calledOuro Preto.
He is the patron of the 8th chair of theBrazilian Academy of Letters.
It is speculated that he translated Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations and Theory of Moral Sentiments into Portuguese. Some claim that he had connections with the Illuminati, an Enlightenment-oriented secret society created in Bavaria that has influenced numerous revolutions.[1]
Cláudio Manuel da Costa was born in the city of Vargem do Itacolomi (nowadaysMariana), to Portuguese João Gonçalves da Costa and Brazilian Teresa Ribeiro de Alvarenga. In 1749, he went toLisbon, where he was graduated inCanon law in theUniversity of Coimbra, where he composed most of his poems. Returning to Brazil, to the city ofOuro Preto, in 1754, he became a lawyer and a goldsmith.
He was the secretary of Minas Gerais from 1762 to 1765, and a judge of lands from 1769 to 1773. He founded in Ouro Preto a Neoclassic literary academy called "Colônia Ultramarina" ("Ultramarine Colony") in 1768, where he wrote many of his poems and performed the theatre playO Parnaso Obsequioso.
During the 1770s and the 1780s, he became friends withTomás António Gonzaga, who exercised a great influence in Cláudio's work. According to studies made in the mid-20th century, the preface of Gonzaga'sCartas Chilenas (Chilean Letters) was written by Costa.
Along with Gonzaga and others, Cláudio was a member of the unsuccessful 1789Minas Conspiracy. Arrested, he was killed in prison on July 4, 1789.
Costa was portrayed byEmiliano Queiroz in the1999 filmTiradentes, byFernando Torres in the1972 filmOs Inconfidentes and in the1969telenovelaDez Vidas, and byCarlos Vereza in the2003 filmAleijadinho: Paixão, Glória e Suplício.
| Preceded by New creation |  Brazilian Academy of Letters -Patron of the 8th chair | Succeeded by Alberto de Oliveira (founder) |
