Fagundes Varela was a Brazilian poet. He was part of the third generation of romantic poets in Brazil. His poetry not only presented social and political themes but also developed themes about nature and themes that speak of anguish, solitude, melancholy, and disillusionment. He is the patron of chair nº 11 of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.
Fagundes Varela (1841-1875) was born on August 17 in Fazenda Santa Clara, in Rio Claro, in what was then the province of Rio de Janeiro. He was the son of Magistrate Emiliano Fagundes Varela and Emília de Andrade. In 1860, he began his life in São Paulo, where he enrolled in the Law School at Largo São Francisco. In the same year, he published his first literary works. He participated in the bohemian life of the city. In 1861, he published the poetry book “Noturnas.”
Fagundes Varela fell in love with Alice Guilhermina Luande, the daughter of the owner of a circus that was set up in São Paulo. He followed her to Sorocaba and married her on May 28, 1862. In 1863, their son Emiliano was born, who died at just three months old. The death of his son inspired his most famous poem “Cântico do Calvário.”
In 1865, he moved to Recife, where he witnessed the wave of nationalism that was unleashed there. He enrolled in Law School. In the same year, with the death of his wife, he returned to São Paulo. In 1866, he returned to the Law School but attended classes infrequently. At that time, Fagundes permanently renounced his studies and returned to his parental home.
In 1869, he married his cousin Maria Belisária Lambert. From this union, two daughters, Lélia and Rute, were born. His third child, also named Emiliano, did not survive.
His works: “Noturnos” (1861), “Cântico do Calvário” (1863), “O Estandarte Auriverde” (1863), “Vozes da América” (1864), “Cantos e Fantasias” (1865), “Cantos Meridionais” (1869), “Cantos do Ermo e da Cidade” (1869), “Anchieta ou Evangelho na Selva” (1875), “Cantos religiosos” (1878), “Diário de Lázaro” (1880).
Luís Nicolau Fagundes Varela died in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, on February 18, 1875.
Source: www.ebiografia.com, by Dilva Frazão