Alfredo Maria Adriano d'Escragnolle Taunay, Viscount of Taunay (February 22, 1843 – January 25, 1899), was a Brazilian writer, musician, professor,

military engineer Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics b ...

, historian, politician, sociologist and nobleman. He is famous for the regionalist novel , considered a major forerunner of naturalism in Brazil, and for ''A Retirada da Laguna'' (1874; originally written in 1872 in French as ''Le retraite de Laguna''), an account of an episode in the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...

. The Brazilianist

Leslie Bethell Leslie Michael BethellBethell, Leslie, ''The Paraguayan War (1864-1870'', Institute of Latin American Studies, 1996, p.6

/ref> He founded and occupied the 13th chair of the Academia Brasileira de Letras, Brazilian Academy of Letters from 1897 until his death in 1899.

Life

Taunay was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, in 1843. His father was Félix Taunay, Baron of Taunay, a painter, professor and headmaster of the

Escola Nacional de Belas Artes Escola de Belas Artes (School of Fine Arts) is one of the centers of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and dates back to colonial times. A royal letter of Nov 20 1800 by John VI of Portugal established the ''Aula Prática de Desenho e Fig ...

; his mother, Gabriela Hermínia Robert d'Escragnolle Taunay, was one of the sisters of Gastão d'Escragnolle, the Baron d'Escragnolle; and his grandfather was the French painter

Nicolas-Antoine Taunay Nicolas-Antoine Taunay (10 February 1755 – 20 March 1830) was a French painter known best for his landscapes with scenes from ancient and modern history, mythology, and religion. Early years Nicolas Antoine Taunay was born in Paris, France, in ...

, Baron of Taunay. Growing up in a cultured environment, Taunay studied Literature and

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

at the

Colégio Pedro II Colégio Pedro II is a traditional federal public school, located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the third oldest active college in the country, after Ginásio Pernambucano and Atheneu Norte-Riograndense. The school was created ...

, graduating in 1858. He studied

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and mathematics in what is now the

Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras The ''Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras'' (AMAN, en, Military Academy of Agulhas Negras - named after the Agulhas Negras summit) is the biggest among several schools of formation of combatant officers of the Brazilian Army. It originated in ...

. An

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in 1862, bachelor in Mathematics in 1863 and an

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

Lieutenant in 1864, he was matriculated in the second year of

military engineering Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics be ...

course, but he did not finish it because of the

. From his experiences at the war, he wrote the memoir ''Cenas de Viagem'' in 1868 and the historic account ''La Retraite de Laguna'' (French for ''The Retreat of Laguna'') in 1872, translating it to

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

two years later. Taunay wrote and published his first romance, ''Mocidade de Trajano'' (''

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

's Youth''), in 1871, under the pen name Sílvio Dinarte. Appointed by the future Viscount of Rio Branco José Maria da Silva Paranhos Sr., he became the general deputy of

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...

from 1872 to 1875, a Major in 1875 and the governor of Santa Catarina from 1876 to 1877. In 1885, he asked for his demission of the Major post. Taunay married Cristina Teixeira Leite, daughter of (

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

Vassouras Vassouras (, lit. 'Brooms') is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous ...

), granddaughter of (1st Baron of Itambé) and grandniece of (Baron of

Aiuruoca Aiuruoca is a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. Th ...

). They had one son, the historian

Afonso d'Escragnolle Taunay Afonso d'Escragnolle Taunay (1876 in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil – 1958 in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil) was a Brazilian writer, politician and noble. Biography Afonso was born in the ''Palácio Rosado'', the residence of Sa ...

(1876–1958). Conde d Eu visconde do rio branco 1870

Taunay was a member of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, but when the party fell, in 1878, he travelled to Europe, returning only in 1880. From 1881 to 1884, he was the deputy of Santa Catarina. He candidated himself to the post of deputy of

, but was defeated in the elections. From 1885 to 1886, he was the governor of Paraná. One of Taunay's most famous deeds as governor of Paraná was the inauguration of the Passeio Público in the capital

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in ...

, in 1886. In 1889,

Emperor Pedro II Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Empe ...

gave him the title of

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

of Taunay. However, when Brazil became a Republic, all the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

ranks were abolished. Taunay, disgusted, abandoned his political career, since he was a

monarchist Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...

. He died in 1899 due to

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

Works

Novels

* ''Mocidade de Trajano'' (1871 – under pen name Sílvio Dinarte) * ''La Retraite de Laguna'' (published in 1872, originally in French; translated into

by Taunay in 1874) * '' Inocência'' (1872) * ''Lágrimas do Coração'' (1873) * ''Ouro Sobre Azul'' (1875) * ''O Encilhamento'' (1894) * ''No Declínio'' (1899)

Short story collections

* ''Histórias Brasileiras'' (1874) * ''Narrativas Militares'' (1878) * ''Ao Entardecer'' (1901)

Theater

* ''Da Mão à Boca se Perde a Sopa'' (1874) * ''Por um Triz, Coronel!'' (1880) * ''Amélia Smith'' (1886)

Other

* ''Cenas de Viagem'' (1874) *''A Retirada da Laguna'' (1874) (published in French as ''La retraite de Laguna'', 1871) * ''Estudos Críticos'' (1881–1883) * ''Céus e Terras do Brasil'' (1882)

Posthumous works

* ''Reminiscências'' (1908) * ''Trechos de Minha Vida'' (1911) * ''Viagens de Outrora'' (1921) * ''Visões do Sertão'' (1923) * ''Dias de Guerra e do Sertão'' (1923) * ''Homens e Coisas do Império'' (1924)

References

External links

* * * *
A biography of Taunay

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taunay, Alfredo d'Escragnolle 1843 births 1899 deaths Brazilian male novelists Brazilian male short story writers Brazilian nobility Brazilian monarchists Brazilian male dramatists and playwrights Brazilian sociologists Portuguese-language writers South American writers in French Brazilian people of French descent Brazilian memoirists Deaths from diabetes Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters Governors of Paraná (state) Conservative Party (Brazil) politicians Members of the Senate of the Empire of Brazil Governors of Santa Catarina (state) 19th-century Brazilian novelists 19th-century Brazilian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Brazilian short story writers 19th-century Brazilian male writers 19th-century memoirists