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

. The Brazilianist Leslie Bethell has described it as "the one undoubted literary masterpiece produced by the Paraguayan War".Bethell, 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, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, 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 20 Nov 1800 by John VI of Portugal established the ''Aula Prática de Desenho e ...

; 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, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

at the Colégio Pedro II, graduating in 1858. He studied

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, 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 whi ...

and mathematics in what is now the

Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras The Military Academy of Agulhas Negras (, AMAN – named after the Pico das Agulhas Negras, Agulhas Negras summit) is the biggest school of formation of combatant officers of the Brazilian Army. It originated in 1792 with the creation of the Roy ...

. An

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in 1862, bachelor in Mathematics in 1863 and an

Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

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 b ...

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

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

'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 States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...

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 title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

of Vassouras), granddaughter of (1st Baron of Itambé) and grandniece of (Baron of Aiuruoca). They had one son, the historian Afonso d'Escragnolle Taunay (1876–1958). Conde d Eu visconde do rio branco 1870

Taunay was a member of the Conservative Party, 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 Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

, in 1886. In 1889, Emperor Pedro II 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. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

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

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

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. C ...

. He died in 1899 due to

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

Works

Novels

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