Vitorino Nemésio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vitorino Nemésio
Bust of the author Vitorino Nemésio
Born	Vitorino Nemésio Mendes Pinheiro da Silva December 19, 1901 Praia da Vitória, Terceira
Died	February 20, 1978(1978-02-20) (aged 76) Lisbon
Resting place	Lisbon
Occupation	Poet
Language	Portuguese
Nationality	Portuguese
Education	Post-Secondary
Alma mater	University of Coimbra, University of Lisbon
Period	1921-25, 1930-34
Genre	Fiction, Romance, Poetry, Biography
Subject	Existensialism, Revolutionary Humanism, Neo-Realism
Literary movement	Republican
Notable works	Canto Matinal (1916), PaçO de Milhafre (1924), Varanda de Pilatos (1926), Sob Os Signos de Agora (1932), A Mocidade de Herculano (1934), RelaçõEs Francesas do Romantismo PortuguêS (1936), O Bicho Harmonioso (1938), Eu, Comovido a Oeste (1940), Mau Tempo No Canal (1944), Ondas Médias (1945), Festa Redonda (1950), Nem Toda a Noite a Vida (1953), O Segredo de Ouro Preto (1954), O PãO e a Culpa (1955), Corsário das Ilhas (1956), Conhecimento de Poesia (1958), O Verbo e a Morte (1959), Canto de Véspera (1966), Jornal do Observador (1974), Sapateia Açoriana, Andamento HolandêS e Outros Poemas (1976)
Notable awards	Ricardo Malheiros Literary Prize (1944), National Literary Prize (1965), Montaigne Prize (1974)
Spouse	Gabriela Monjardino de Azevedo Gomes
Children	Georgina (November 1926), Jorge (April 1929), Manuel (July 1930) and Ana Paula (At the end of 1931).

Vitorino Nemésio (born December 19, 1901, in Praia da Vitória, Terceira – died February 20, 1978, in Lisbon) was a famous Portuguese writer. He was a poet, author, and a very smart person (an intellectual) from the Azores islands. He is most famous for his novel Mau Tempo No Canal. He also taught at the University of Lisbon and was part of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon.

Life Story of Vitorino Nemésio

Vitorino Nemésio was born in 1901 on Terceira in the Azores. His parents were Vitorino Gomes da Silva and Maria da Glória Mendes Pinheiro.

His early school days were a bit tough. He had problems as a student and was even kicked out of high school once. He had to repeat his fifth year of studies. However, he really loved history classes at his high school in Angra do Heroísmo. He said his history teacher, Manuel António Ferreira Deusdado, helped him get interested in social sciences.

When he was 16, Nemésio traveled to Horta to take his entry exams for the National School. He just barely passed! He stayed in Horta from May to August 1918. While there, a local newspaper, O Telégrafo, mentioned his first book of poetry, Canto Matinal, which was published in 1916. He also wrote for student newspapers and helped start a magazine called Estrela d'Alva.

Even when he was young, Nemésio believed in republican ideas, which meant he thought the country should be run by elected leaders, not a king. He joined literary and political meetings in Angra. His friend, Jaime Brasil, who was five years older, was a big influence on him.

In 1918, during the end of World War I, Horta was a busy port city. Ships would stop there to refuel, and sailors would get time off. This lively atmosphere later inspired his famous novel, Mau Tempo no Canal. In 1919, he joined the military, which allowed him to travel outside the Azores for the first time.

University Life

In Lisbon, Nemésio worked for several newspapers while finishing his high school studies in Coimbra in 1921. He then went to the University of Coimbra to study law. By 1923, he joined a group called the Coimbra Revolta Lodge of the Grand Order of Lusitania.

While working for a magazine called Bizâncio, he learned that his father had passed away. Three years later, in 1925, he changed his studies from Law to Social and Applied Sciences. He wanted to focus on history and geography.

On his first trip to Spain in 1923, he met a Spanish writer and philosopher named Miguel de Unamuno. Unamuno was a leader in ideas about humanism and against dictatorship. Nemésio and Unamuno continued to write letters to each other for many years. Nemésio also helped start a magazine called Tríptico with other writers.

On February 12, 1926, in Coimbra, he married Gabriela Monjardino de Azevedo Gomes. They had four children: Georgina (born 1926), Jorge (born 1929), Manuel (born 1930), and Ana Paula (born 1931).

In 1930, Nemésio moved to the Faculty of Letters at the University of Lisbon. A year later, he finished his studies in Romance Languages (like Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian). He then started teaching Italian Literature and later Spanish Literature. In 1934, he earned his doctorate degree from the University of Lisbon. His main project for this degree was about the early life of a famous Portuguese writer named Alexandre Herculano. Between 1937 and 1939, he taught in Brussels, Belgium, before returning to Lisbon.

His most famous and complex novel, Mau Tempo No Canal, was published in 1944. This book is considered one of the best examples of modern Portuguese literature. It tells a story set in the Azores islands of Faial, Pico, São Jorge, and Terceira between 1917 and 1919. Nemésio never wrote another novel after this one. He once said that Mau Tempo No Canal was the highlight of his writing career.

Vitorino Nemésio was a famous Portuguese writer.

When he visited Horta again in 1946, he wrote Corsário das Ilhas (meaning The Islands Corsair). In this book, he thought about his school days there. He remembered Horta as his "first refuge, of patriarchal hospitality and gentility in everything."

In 1958, he gave lectures in Brazil. On September 12, 1971, he retired from teaching at the University of Lisbon after 40 years.

Later Life and Legacy

After retiring, Nemésio hosted a TV show called Se bem me lembro (If I Remember Correctly). This show helped make his writing even more popular. He also led a newspaper called O Dia from 1975 to 1976.

Vitorino Nemésio passed away on February 20, 1978, in Lisbon. He was buried in Coimbra, a city he considered his adopted home. Before he died, he asked his son to bury him in a specific cemetery and to have the church bells play a special song.

His Published Works

Vitorino Nemésio's early writings were often inspired by the Azores, where he grew up. His first collection of stories, Paço do Milhafre (meaning Eagle Palace), was published in 1924. This book was later renamed O Mistério do Paço do Milhafre (The Mystery of Eagle Palace).

Nemésio was known for his unique way of describing places and characters in his novels. He showed a deep understanding of human nature. Examples include Varanda de Pilatos (published in 1927) and A Casa Fechada (The Closed House), which included three stories.

Vitorino Nemésio was one of the greatest writers in modern Portuguese literature. In 1965, he received the Prémio Nacional da Literatura (National Literary Prize). He also won the Montaigne Prize in 1974. He was a very versatile writer:

• He wrote fiction and poetry.
• He wrote chronicles (like personal essays or reports).
• He wrote biographies (life stories of people).
• He was a historian of literature.
• He was a journalist and a philosopher.
• He was also a language expert and wrote for television.

It's quite amazing how much he achieved, especially since he had a difficult start in high school!

His works often focused on life in the Azores and his childhood memories. He cared about ordinary people and their struggles. He wrote biographies, including his doctoral project on Alexandre Herculano and a biography of Queen Saint Elizabeth of Portugal. He also wrote about his travels to Brazil, the Azores, and Madeira. He discussed various topics related to Portuguese and Brazilian history and wrote about poetry.

Nemésio was also a poet, publishing works from 1916 (Canto Matinal) to 1976 (Era do Átomo Crise do Homem). A literary critic, Óscar Lopes, noted two main types of poems in his work Nem toda a Noite a Vida (Not All Night Is There Life).

• The first type is mostly about his home region. These poems show his longing for island life, childhood, and his first loves. You can see this in O Bicho Harmonioso (The Harmonious Beast) and Eu, Comovido a Oeste.
• In his later works, his poems changed. They became more about deep thoughts and religion. He wrote about life and death, and searching for the meaning of life. This is called existentialist philosophy. He also wrote popular poems that used symbols from the Azores.

Poetry

• Canto Matinal (1916)
• O Bicho Harmonioso (1938)
• Eu, Comovido a Oeste (1940)
• Festa Redonda (1950)
• Nem Toda a Noite a Vida (1953)
• O Pão e a Culpa (published in 1955)
• O Verbo e a Morte (1959)
• Canto de Véspera (1966)
• Sapateia Açoriana, Andamento Holandês e Outros Poemas (1976)

Fiction

• Paço de Milhafre (1924)
• Varanda de Pilatos (1926)
• Mau Tempo no Canal (1944), which won the Ricardo Malheiros Literary Prize

Dissertations and Critics

• Sob os Signos de Agora (1932)
• A Mocidade de Herculano (1934)
• Relações Francesas do Romantismo Português (1936)
• Ondas Médias (1945)
• Conhecimento de Poesia (1958)

Chronicles

• O Segredo de Ouro Preto (1954)
• Corsário das Ilhas (1956)
• Jornal do Observador (1974)

See also

In Spanish: Vitorino Nemésio para niños