João Carlos de Medeiros Pardal Mallet (December 9, 1864 – November 24, 1894) was a Brazilian journalist and novelist. He is the patron of the 30th chair of the

Brazilian Academy of Letters The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literature, literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its found ...

Life

Mallet was born in the city of

Bagé Bagé () is a city located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In 2020, its population was 121,335 in a total area of 4,096 km2. It was the seventeenth largest city in the state according to the 2011 census. The city was founded in 181 ...

, in

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

, in 1864. His father was the General João Nepomuceno de Medeiros Mallet, and his grandfather was the French-born

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Émile Mallet. He was also of Portuguese and Irish descent. From childhood, he had a strong affinity for literature. He also learned to speak English and French. After completing his primary studies, he moved to

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 order to study medicine at the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, but he would not finish the course, because his teacher, the Viscount of Saboia, threatened to expel him because of his

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

ideals. He then abandoned medicine to devote himself to literature and journalism. He then moved to

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, to study law at the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo, but finished his course in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

, Pernambuco. There, when he was receiving his diploma, he refused to take an oath because of his Republican ideals. The situation was circumvented thanks to

Joaquim Nabuco Joaquim Aurélio Barreto Nabuco de Araújo (August 19, 1849 – January 17, 1910) was a Brazilian writer, statesman, and a leading voice in the abolitionist movement of his country. Early life and education Born in Brazil, Joaquim was the son ...

. During his stay in Pernambuco, he published his first books: ''Hóspede'' and ''Meu Álbum'', both in 1887. Returning to Rio de Janeiro, he befriended many famous writers at the time, such as

Olavo Bilac Olavo Brás Martins dos Guimarães Bilac (16 December 1865 – 28 December 1918), known simply as Olavo Bilac (), was a Brazilian Parnassianism, Parnassian poet, journalist and translator. Alongside Alberto de Oliveira and Raimundo Correia, he w ...

Raul Pompeia Raul d'Ávila Pompeia (April 12, 1863 – December 25, 1895) was a Brazilian novelist, short story writer and chronicler. He is famous for the Impressionist romance ''O Ateneu''. He is patron of the 33rd chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters ...

Coelho Neto Henrique Maximiano Coelho Neto (February 21, 1864 – November 28, 1934) was a Brazilian writer and politician. He founded and occupied the second chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, from 1897 until his death in 1934. He was also the pr ...

Luís Murat Luís Morton Barreto Murat was a Brazilian journalist, poet, philosopher and politician. He was born in Itaguaí on 4 May 1861 and died in Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of ...

José do Patrocínio José Carlos do Patrocínio (October 9, 1854 – January 29, 1905) was a Brazilian writer, journalist, activist, orator and pharmacist. He was among the most well-known proponents of the abolition of slavery in Brazil, and known as "O Tigre da Ab ...

Artur Artur is a cognate to the common male given name Arthur, meaning "bear-like," which is believed to possibly be descended from the Roman surname Artorius or the Celtic bear-goddess Artio or more probably from the Celtic word ''artos'' ("bear"). O ...

and

Aluísio Azevedo Aluísio Tancredo Gonçalves de Azevedo (; 14 April 1857 – 21 January 1913) was a Brazilian novelist, caricaturist, diplomat, playwright and short story writer. Initially a Romantic writer, he would later adhere to the Naturalist movement. He ...

, Émile Rouède and

Francisco de Paula Ney Francisco de Paula Ney (February 2, 1858 – November 13, 1897) was a Brazilian poet and journalist. A pre-eminent figure of the bohemian Rio de Janeiro of the '' Belle Époque'', he was a friend of Coelho Neto, Aluísio Azevedo and Olavo Bila ...

In 1888, he became the editor in chief of

's journal ''A Cidade do Rio''. However, Mallet would leave the journal in the following year due to political differences. Also in 1889, he had an argument with

, that ended in a duel. One of Mallet's ribs was injured, but he and Bilac would reconcile. After the proclamation of the

First Brazilian Republic The First Brazilian Republic, also referred to as the Old Republic ( pt, República Velha ), officially the Republic of the United States of Brazil, refers to the period of Brazilian history from 1889 to 1930. The Old Republic began with the de ...

, Mallet joined the

Revolta da Armada The Brazilian Naval Revolts, or the Revoltas da Armada (in Portuguese), were armed mutinies promoted mainly by admirals Custódio José de Melo and Saldanha da Gama and their fleet of rebel Brazilian navy ships against the claimed unconstitutio ...

, in opposition to then-

President of Brazil The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...

Floriano Peixoto Floriano Vieira Peixoto ( 30 April 1839 – 29 June 1895), born in Ipioca (today a district of the city of Maceió in the State of Alagoas), nicknamed the "Iron Marshal", was a Brazilian soldier and politician, a veteran of the Paraguay ...

. He was then arrested and exiled in the city of

Tabatinga Tabatinga, originally Forte de São Francisco Xavier de Tabatinga, is a municipality in the Três Fronteiras area of Western Amazonas. It is in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Its population was 67,182 (2020) and its area is 3,225 km2. To ...

, in Amazonas. After

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

was given, he returned to Rio. He contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and moved to the city of

Caxambu Caxambu is a Brazilian municipality in Minas Gerais. Its population in 2021 was estimated at 21,566. Caxambu is renowned for its spa which has twelve sources of mineral sparkling water flowing 24 hours a day and a cold-water geyser Cold-water ...

, in

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. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

, in order to mitigate the disease, unsuccessfully. He died on November 24, 1894.

Works

* ''Meu Álbum'' (short stories – 1887) * ''Hóspede'' (novel – 1887) * ''Lar'' (novel – 1888) * ''A Pandilha'' (short stories – 1883) * ''O Esqueleto'' (novel written in partnership with

— 1890) * ''Pelo Divórcio!'' (pamphlet – 1894)

External links

Mallet's biography at the official site of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallet, Pardal 1864 births 1894 deaths Brazilian people of French descent Brazilian people of Irish descent Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Brazilian journalists People from Bagé Patrons of the Brazilian Academy of Letters 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Minas Gerais 19th-century journalists Male journalists 19th-century Brazilian novelists Brazilian male novelists 19th-century Brazilian male writers