Olavo Bilac facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Olavo Bilac
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| Born | Olavo Brás Martins dos Guimarães Bilac 16 December 1865 Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil |
| Died | 28 December 1918 (aged 53) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Occupation | Poet, journalist, translator |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Alma mater | Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro |
| Literary movement | Parnassianism |
| Notable works | Poesias, Brazilian Flag Anthem |
Olavo Brás Martins dos Guimarães Bilac (born December 16, 1865 – died December 28, 1918) was a very important Brazilian poet, journalist, and translator. People often called him Olavo Bilac. He was part of a poetry style called Parnassianism, which focused on perfect form and beautiful language.
Olavo Bilac was one of the "Parnassian Triad," a group of three famous poets. In 1907, a magazine called Fon-Fon named him the "Prince of Brazilian Poets." He also wrote the words for the Brazilian Flag Anthem, a very important song for Brazil.
He helped start the Brazilian Academy of Letters and held its 15th seat from 1897 until he passed away. He is also honored by the military in Brazil because he strongly supported the idea of conscription, which means people joining the military service.
Contents
His Life Story
Bilac was born in Rio de Janeiro. His parents were Brás Martins dos Guimarães Bilac and Delfina Belmira Gomes de Paula. When he was young, he was a very smart student. He even started studying medicine at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro when he was only 15 years old.
Early Years and Education
Even though he started studying medicine, he did not finish the course. He also tried to study law at the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo, but he did not finish that course either. Instead, he discovered he loved writing and working as a journalist.
His first published work was a poem called "Sesta de Nero" ("Nero's Nap"). It appeared in a newspaper called Gazeta de Notícias in 1884. Another famous writer, Artur Azevedo, praised his work.
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A Writer's Journey
Besides writing beautiful poetry, Bilac also wrote many other things. He wrote advertisements, daily stories for newspapers (called chronicles), schoolbooks, and even poems for children. He also wrote funny, satirical works. In 1891, he was arrested because he disagreed with the government of Floriano Peixoto.
In 1897, something unusual happened: Bilac lost control of his car and crashed it into a tree. This was a notable event because he was the first person to have a car accident in Brazil!
Interesting Facts About His Life
Olavo Bilac never married and did not have any children. He was engaged once to Amélia de Oliveira, who was the sister of another poet, Alberto de Oliveira. However, their engagement did not last long. Amélia's brother did not approve because he thought Bilac had no future.
Bilac was also briefly engaged to Maria Selika. A popular story says that Amélia remained very loyal to Bilac. She never married, and when Bilac died, she supposedly placed a lock of her hair in his coffin.
Olavo Bilac passed away in 1918. His very last words were, "Give me coffee! I'm going to write!" This shows how much he loved his work, right up to the end.
See also
In Spanish: Olavo Bilac para niños
