Joaquim Osório Duque-Estrada (19 April 1870 – 5 February 1927) was a Brazilian poet, historian, essayist, journalist, literary critic and professor. He is famous for writing in 1909 a poem that would become the lyrics of the

Brazilian National Anthem The "Brazilian National Anthem" () was composed by Francisco Manuel da Silva in 1831 and had been given at least two sets of unofficial lyrics before a 1922 decree by president Epitácio Pessoa gave the anthem its definitive, official lyrics ...

in 1922. He occupied the 17th chair of the

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

(ABL) from 1915 until his death in 1927.

Early life and education

Duque-Estrada was born in Paty do Alferes, on 19 April 1870, to Lieutenant Colonel Luís de Azeredo Coutinho Duque-Estrada and Mariana Delfim Duque-Estrada. His godfather was Manuel Luís Osório, the

Marquess A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wid ...

of Herval. He was sent to the

Colégio Pedro II ''Colégio Pedro II'' (Pedro II School) is a federal public school located in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Named after Pedro II of Brazil, it was established on 2 December 1837, and made official by Imperial decree on 20 December of the same ...

in 1882, graduating in Letters in 1888. Two years before, he published his first poetry book, ''Alvéolos'' (''Alveoli'').

Career

In 1887 he started to write for journals, such as ''A Cidade do Rio'', collaborating with

José do Patrocínio José Carlos do Patrocínio (9 October 1854 – 29 January 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 "''Tigre da Abo ...

. In 1888 he started to defend the proclamation of the Republic in Brazil, alongside Antônio da Silva Jardim. In 1889 he moved to

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

in order to study at the Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo, but would abandon the Law school in 1891 to become a diplomat. He would serve as a secretary in

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

, staying there for one year. Later abandoning the diplomatic career, he became a professor at the Colégio Pedro II, but would quit his position to dedicate himself to journalism again, working as a literary critic at the ''

Jornal do Brasil ''Jornal do Brasil'', widely known as ''JB'', is a daily newspaper published by Editora JB in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The paper was founded in 1891 and is the third oldest extant Brazilian paper, after the ''Diário de Pernambuco'' and ''O Esta ...

''. His articles would be compiled and published in 1924, by the name of ''Crítica e Polêmica''.

Death

He died on 5 February 1927, at the age of 56.

Works

* ''Alvéolos'' (1886) * ''A Aristocracia do Espírito'' (1889) * ''Flora de Maio'' (1902) * ''O Norte'' (1909) * ''Anita Garibaldi'' (1911) * ''A Arte de Fazer Versos'' (1912) * ''Dicionário de Rimas Ricas'' (1915) * ''A Abolição'' (1918) * ''Crítica e Polêmica'' (1924)

External links

*
Duque-Estrada's biography at the official site of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
1870 births 1927 deaths People from Rio de Janeiro (state) 19th-century Brazilian poets Brazilian male poets Brazilian diplomats Brazilian literary critics Brazilian journalists Portuguese-language writers University of São Paulo alumni Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters 19th-century Brazilian male writers National anthem writers 19th-century Brazilian historians 20th-century Brazilian historians {{Brazil-writer-stub