Pedro Correia Garção facts for kids

Pedro António Joaquim Correia da Serra Garção (born April 29, 1724 – died November 10, 1772) was a famous Portuguese lyric poet. He was known for his beautiful and simple style of writing poems.

Early Life and Education

Pedro Garção was born in Lisbon, Portugal. His father was a nobleman who worked for the government. His mother had French family.

Pedro was often sick as a child. He went to a Jesuit school in Lisbon. At home, he learned English, French, and Italian. In 1742, he went to the University of Coimbra to study law. He finished his degree in 1748. Two years later, he became a Knight of the Order of Christ.

Marriage and Career

In 1751, Pedro Garção married Maria Ana Xavier Froes Mascarenhas de Sande Salema in Lisbon. She brought a lot of money with her, which allowed him to live comfortably. This also gave him time to focus on writing. Later, a legal problem caused him to lose much of his money. However, he still became a nobleman, just like his father.

From 1760 to 1762, he worked as an editor for the Lisbon Gazette, a newspaper.

The Arcádia Lusitana

In 1756, Pedro Garção helped start a group called the Arcádia Lusitana. He founded it with Cruz e Silva and others. Their goal was to improve the way people wrote poetry. At that time, much of the writing was seen as too fancy and unclear.

The Arcádia group helped make writing clearer and simpler. Pedro Garção was a main writer for this group. He used the pen name Corydon Erimantheo. Many of his poems and speeches were shared at their meetings.

Imprisonment and Death

Pedro Garção was a very active writer and was becoming famous. However, on April 9, 1771, he was arrested. He was put in prison by Pombal, a powerful government leader. It seems Pombal was unhappy with Pedro Garção's independent way of thinking.

Pedro was never put on trial. His wife tried very hard to get him released. On November 10, 1772, the king finally ordered his release. But it was too late. Pedro Garção was very sick and weak from being in prison. He died that same day in the Limoeiro prison. He was only 48 years old.

Works and Style

Pedro Garção looked up to the ancient Roman poet Horace. He wanted to make poetry more pure and simple. His poems are known for their clear and classic style.

His sonnets and sodales show his personal feelings. His odes and epistles show he was an inspired poet who had faced difficulties. He also wrote two comedies, Theatro Novo and Assemblea. These plays made fun of the social life in Lisbon. One of his most admired works is the Cantata de Dido, which is part of Assemblea. It shows a perfect mix of Greek art and beautiful writing.

Pedro Garção did not write a lot, but he spent much time making his works perfect. His poems were published after he died, in 1778.

See also

In Spanish: Pedro António Correia Garção para niños