Cesário Verde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cesário Verde
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| Born |
José Joaquim Cesário Verde
25 February 1855 |
| Died | 19 July 1886 (aged 31) |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Occupation | Poet |
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Cesário Verde (born José Joaquim Cesário Verde) was an important Portuguese poet from the 1800s. He was born on February 25, 1855, and passed away on July 19, 1886. Even though his poems were not very famous when he was alive, they are now considered some of the most important in Portuguese literature. Many schools in Portugal teach his work today. This is partly because other famous writers, like Fernando Pessoa, admired his poetry after he died.
Contents
Who Was Cesário Verde?
José Joaquim Cesário Verde was born in Lisbon, Portugal. His father owned a shop and sold fruit. The family also had a small farm outside the city. They often spent summers there.
In 1857, a sickness called the plague caused his family to move to the countryside permanently. They lived there until 1865. This time spent in nature made Verde love the countryside very much. This love for nature often appeared in his poems. He usually described country life as peaceful and beautiful.
Verde was the oldest of four children. He started working in his father's shop when he was young. His family believed in hard work and being responsible.
In 1872, his sister Julia died from tuberculosis. This sad event deeply affected Verde. Some people believe this loss influenced his writing. His poems sometimes talked about illness and sadness. For example, his poem “Nós” mentions his sister's death.
His Journey as a Poet
We don't know much about Verde's school life. He did enroll in a higher education institute in 1873. However, he left before finishing his exams. During this time, he met Silva Pinto. They became lifelong friends. After Verde's death, Silva Pinto helped publish his poems.
In the same year, Verde published his first poems. They appeared in a local newspaper called Diário de Notícias. He would publish about forty poems in different newspapers during his life. Verde continued to work in his father's business. He wrote poetry only in his free time.
In 1874, he published a poem called “Esplêndida”. A well-known critic, Ramalho Ortigão, gave it a negative review. Ortigão wrote in his magazine As Farpas that Verde should be "more Cesário, less Verde." The word "verde" means "unripe" or "inexperienced" in Portuguese. This comment hurt Verde. He often felt that people didn't appreciate his work. Despite this, he and Ortigão later became friends.
In 1877, Verde started showing signs of tuberculosis. This was the same illness that had killed his sister. In 1882, his brother, Joaquim Tomás, also died from it. During his later years, Verde's interest in writing decreased. His health got worse steadily. He passed away on July 19, 1886, in Lisbon.
What His Poems Were About
Cesário Verde is famous for two main types of poems. He wrote about city life and about the countryside. He is considered one of Portugal's best poets for both topics. His poems were always written in a specific style called alexandrine.
City Poems
Verde's city poems often describe city life as busy and sometimes sad. He is seen as Portugal's first great realist poet. This means he wrote about real-life situations. He often showed scenes of poverty, sickness, and decay in the city. His poems also talked about feelings of boredom and sadness.
In his poem "O Sentimento dum Ocidental" ("The Feeling of a Westerner"), Verde captured the feeling of decline in Portuguese society. He compared the great discoveries of Portuguese sailors and the works of national poet Luís de Camões to the present time. He also wished to see more of the world beyond Lisbon. He wrote: “Madrid, Paris, Berlim, S. Petersburgo, o mundo!” (“Madrid, Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburg, the world!”).
Countryside Poems
While his city poems showed decay, Verde described the countryside as lively and beautiful. Even new farming machines were not seen as a problem. This part from his poem “De Verão” (“In The Summer”) shows this:
“E perguntavas sobre os últimos inventos
Agrícolas. Que aldeias tão lavadas!<
Bons ares! Boa luz! Bons alimentos!
Olha: os saloios vivos, corpulentos
Como nos fazem grandes barretadas”
(This means: “And you asked about the latest inventions / In agriculture. What well-washed villages! / Good airs! Good light! Good food! / Look: the countrymen alive, corpulent / What great hat-drops they give us!”)
His poem “Nós” gives a lovely description of Verde's youth on the farm. Later poems show the countryside as a peaceful place for picnics. It was also a place for long walks with friends. In his country poems, the people are often strong, happy, and healthy. This is different from the sadness he described in his city poems.
His Influence on Others
Cesário Verde mentioned other writers in his poetry. These included Balzac, Baudelaire, and Herbert Spencer. His letters also showed quotes from Victor Hugo and Flaubert. In Portugal, he mentioned Luís de Camões and João de Deus.
Even though he wasn't famous during his life, Verde met many important writers. Some of these meetings might have been because he supported the idea of a republic. This idea was popular among thinkers at the time. Writers like Fialho de Almeida admired him greatly. He also knew Guerra Junqueiro, Ramalho Ortigão, and Fernando Pessoa.
After his death, Verde's fame grew. Modernist poets like Mário de Sá-Carneiro and Fernando Pessoa especially liked his work. Pessoa's different writing personalities, called heteronyms, also praised Verde. More recent admirers include Eugénio de Andrade.
His Published Works
During his life, Cesário Verde published about forty poems in various newspapers. After he died, his friend Silva Pinto published "The Book Of Cesário Verde." This book collected all his poems. The first edition came out in April 1887. Only two hundred copies were printed and given as gifts. The book was not sold in stores until 1901.
Newer editions of his book follow the original order of poems. But they also add other poems that were not in the first collection. Now, the book includes all of Verde's known poems.
Images for kids
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Cesário Verde's signature
See also
In Spanish: Cesário Verde para niños
