Alphonsus de Guimaraens | |
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| Born | Afonso Henrique da Costa Guimarães (1870-07-24)July 24, 1870 |
| Died | July 15, 1921(1921-07-15) (aged 50) |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Literary movement | Symbolist,Neo-romanticism |
Afonso Henrique da Costa Guimarães, known asAlphonsus de Guimaraens; (July 24, 1870 inOuro Preto – July 15, 1921 inMariana) was aBrazilianpoet.
The poetry of Alphonsus de Guimaraes is substantiallymystical and involved withCatholicism. Hissonnets display a classical structure, and are profoundly religious. They become increasingly sensitive as he explores the meaning ofdeath, of the impossiblelove, ofsolitude and of his inadequacy regarding theworld. However, the mystical tone marks in his works a feeling of acceptance and of resignation towards life, suffering and pain. Another characteristic aspect of his work ids the use ofspirituality in relation to the feminine figure, which is considered to be anangel, or a celestial being. As a result of that, Guimaraes shows himself not one as aSymbolist but also a follower ofNeo-romanticism.
His works, predominantly poetic, made him one of the main Symbolist authors inBrazil. In reference to the city he spent most of his life in, he is also called the "loner ofMariana", his "ivory tower of Symbolism" ("o solitário de Mariana" and"torre de marfim do Simbolismo", respectively, inPortuguese).
Afonso Henriques da Costa Guimarães was born on July 24, 1870, in the city ofOuro Preto inMinas Gerais. He was son of a Portuguese trader, Albino da Costa Guimarães and Francisca de Paula Guimarães Alvim, niece of theRomantic writer Bernardo Guimarães. He enrolled in 1887 in theengineering course of his city. During his early life he suffered the premature loss of his cousin and fiancée, Constança, a fact that deeply affected him emotionally and physically.
Sick, he moved toSão Paulo in 1891 to studyLaw in the University Largo do Francisco. There he collaborated with the local newspapersDiário Mercantil,Comércio de São Paulo,Correio Paulistano,O Estado de S. Paulo andA Gazeta and attended Vila Kyrial, where the young Symbolists gathered. After three years, he returned to Ouro Preto, graduating in Law in 1894. In 1895, in the cityRio de Janeiro, Guimaraes metCruz e Sousa, a poet whom he already admired, and became a close friend of him. In 1897, he marries Zenaide de Oliveira.
In the year of 1899, he premiered in literature with two volumes of verses:Septenário das Dores de Nossa Senhora e Câmara Ardente andDona Mística; both showing clear Symbolistic influences. In 1902 he publishedKiriale, under the pseudonym of Alphonsus de Guimaraens; this opened opportunities in the literary world, giving him recognition, however restricted. He had been working as substitute judge in Conceição do Serro, but in 1903 he lost his position, which led him to grave financial difficulties.
After refusing a prominent position in the newspaperA Gazeta, Alphonsus de Guimaraens was appointed to direct the political newspaper of Conceição do Serro, where he would collaborate with his brother Archangelus de Guimaraens, Cruz e Souza and José Severino de Resende. In 1906, he became judge of Mariana, a job he would exercise for the rest of his life.
He lived his last years with his wife Zenaide de Oliveira, with whom he had 14 children. He was occasionally visited by a few friends and admirers, until his death on July 15, 1921, in Mariana.
