Cláudio Manuel da Costa (June 4, 1729 – July 4, 1789) was a Brazilian poet and musician, considered to be the introducer of

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism ...

in Brazil. He wrote under the pen name Glauceste Satúrnio, and his most famous work is the epic poem ''Vila Rica'', that tells the history of the homonymous city, nowadays called

Ouro Preto Ouro Preto (, ''Black Gold''), formerly Vila Rica (, ''Rich Village''), is a city in and former capital of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, a former colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains and designated a World H ...

. He is the patron of the 8th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

Biography

Cláudio Manuel da Costa was born in the city of Vargem do Itacolomi (nowadays

Mariana Mariana may refer to: Literature * ''Mariana'' (Dickens novel), a 1940 novel by Monica Dickens * ''Mariana'' (poem), a poem by Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson * ''Mariana'' (Vaz novel), a 1997 novel by Katherine Vaz Music *"Mariana", a so ...

), to Portuguese João Gonçalves da Costa and Brazilian Teresa Ribeiro de Alvarenga. In 1749, he went to

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, where he was graduated in

Canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is t ...

in the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The u ...

, where he composed most of his poems. Returning to Brazil, to the city of

, in 1754, he became a lawyer and a goldsmith. He was the secretary of Minas Gerais from 1762 to 1765, and a judge of lands from 1769 to 1773. He founded in Ouro Preto a Neoclassic literary academy called "Colônia Ultramarina" ("Ultramarine Colony") in 1768, where he wrote many of his poems and performed the theatre play ''O Parnaso Obsequioso''. During the 1770s and the 1780s, he became friends with

Tomás António Gonzaga Tomás António Gonzaga (11 August 1744c. 1810) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian poet. One of the most famous Neoclassic colonial Brazilian writers, he was also the ''ouvidor'' and the ombudsman of the city of Ouro Preto (formerly "Vila Rica") ...

, who exercised a great influence in Cláudio's work. According to studies made in the mid-20th century, the preface of Gonzaga's '' Cartas Chilenas'' (''Chilean Letters'') was written by Costa. Along with Gonzaga and others, Cláudio was a member of the unsuccessful 1789 Minas Conspiracy. Arrested, he was killed in prison on July 4, 1789.

Works

* ''Munúsculo Métrico'' (1751) * ''Epicédio em Memória de Frei Gaspar da Encarnação'' (1753) * ''Labirinto de Amor'' (1753) * ''Obras Poéticas de Glauceste Satúrnio'' (1768 — reimpressed in 1903) * ''Vila Rica'' (1773 — published in 1839)

Representations in popular culture

Costa was portrayed by

Emiliano Queiroz Emilian or Emiliano may refer to: * Emilia (region of Italy), a region of northern Italy * Emilian of Cogolla, a Visigothic saint *Emilian dialects, spoken in Emilia, northern Italy *A Romanian male given name: **Emilian Bratu (1904–1991), chem ...

in the

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

film ''

Tiradentes Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (; 12 November 1746 – 21 April 1792), known as Tiradentes (), was a leading member of the colonial Brazilian revolutionary movement known as Inconfidência Mineira, whose aim was full independence from Po ...

'', by Fernando Torres in the 1972 film '' Os Inconfidentes'' and in the

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...

'' Dez Vidas'', and by

Carlos Vereza Carlos Alberto Vereza de Almeida (born 4 March 1939) is a Brazilian actor. He was born in Rio de Janeiro. Selected filmography * '' O Bravo Guerreiro'' (1968) * ''Memoirs of Prison'' (1984) * ''O Rei do Gado'' (1996) * ''Corpo Dourado'' (1998) * ...

in the

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

film '' Aleijadinho: Paixão, Glória e Suplício''.

External links

Costa's biography at the official site of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costa, Claudio Manuel Da 1729 births 1789 deaths 18th-century Brazilian people Brazilian classical musicians 18th-century Brazilian poets Portuguese-language writers Italian-language writers University of Coimbra alumni Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Patrons of the Brazilian Academy of Letters People from Minas Gerais Brazilian male poets 18th-century male writers