Júlio Dinis,

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of Joaquim Guilherme Gomes Coelho (14 November 1839 – 12 September 1871) was a Portuguese medical doctor and poet, playwright and novelist. He was the first great novelist of modern Portuguese middle-class society. His novels, extremely popular in his lifetime and still widely read in Portugal today, are written in a simple and direct style accessible to a large public. His first attacks of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

forced him to resign as deputy professor at the medical school of

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

. He had already published several tales of country life in the Jornal do Porto. Retiring to the coastal town of Ovar for his health, he wrote the novel for which he is best known, '' As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor'' (1867; "The Dean's Pupils"), depicting country life and scenery in a simple and appealing style. It was based on his own family situation and described the influence of the English on Portuguese culture. (His mother was English.) Encouraged by its immediate success, he published ''Uma Família Inglesa'' (1868; "An English Family"), a novel describing English society in Porto. Júlio Dinis died at the young age of 31 of tuberculosis, and some of his works including his poems and plays were published posthumously. He is best-remembered for his novels: ''As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor'' had gone through 14 editions by 1900. A translation of ''Uma Família Inglesa'' by Margaret Jull Costa was published in 2020, the first of his works to be available in English.

Works

* '' As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor'' (1867) * '' A Morgadinha dos Canaviais'' (1868) * ''Uma Família Inglesa'' (1868) trans. Margaret Jull Costa, ''An English Family'', Dedalus Books, 2020, * ''Serões da Província'' (1870) * ''Os Fidalgos da Casa Mourisca'' (1871) * ''Poesias'' (1873) * ''Inéditos e Dispersos'' (1910) * ''Teatro Inédito'' (1946–1947)

References

External links

* * * Portuguese medical writers University of Porto alumni Writers from Porto 1839 births 1871 deaths Portuguese male novelists 19th-century Portuguese writers 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis 19th-century Portuguese novelists 19th-century Portuguese male writers Tuberculosis deaths in Portugal Writers of the Romantic era Portuguese people of British descent {{Portugal-writer-stub