Joaquim Manuel de Macedo was born on June 24, 1820, and died on April 11, 1882. He was a Brazilian novelist, medical doctor, teacher, poet, playwright, and journalist. He is best known for writing the novel A Moreninha. He is regarded as the first Brazilian novelist. He is the patron of the 20th chair in the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

Life

Joaquim Manuel de Macedo was born in the city of Itaboraí in 1820 to Severino de Macedo Carvalho and Benigna Catarina da Conceição. He completed his studies in Medicine in 1844 and began practicing in the interior regions of Rio de Janeiro. In the same year, he published his novel A Moreninha. In 1849, he co-founded the magazine Guanabara with Manuel de Araújo Porto-Alegre and Gonçalves Dias. Portions of his long poem A Nebulosa were published in this magazine.

After returning to Rio de Janeiro, he left his medical career and became a teacher of History and Geography at the Colégio Pedro II. He was closely connected to the Brazilian Imperial Family, including serving as a tutor for Princess Isabel’s children. He also held positions as a provincial deputy, a general deputy, and a member of the Brazilian Historic and Geographic Institute.

In his later years, he experienced mental health issues that worsened his condition and led to his death on April 11, 1882. He was married to Maria Catarina de Abreu Sodré, a cousin of poet Álvares de Azevedo. Some historians believe the main character in his novel A Moreninha was inspired by her.

Works

• A Moreninha (1844)
• O Moço Loiro (1845)
• Os Dois Amores (1848)
• Rosa (1849)
• Vicentina (1853)
• O Forasteiro (1855)
• Os Romances da Semana (1861)
• Rio do Quarto (1869)
• A Luneta Mágica (1869)
• As Vítimas-algozes (1869)
• As Mulheres de Mantilha (1870 — 1871)

• A Carteira do Meu Tio (1855)
• Memórias do Sobrinho do Meu Tio (1867 — 1868)

• Memórias da Rua do Ouvidor
• Um Passeio pela Cidade do Rio de Janeiro
• Labirinto

• O Cego (1845)
• Cobé (1849)
• Lusbela (1863)

• O Fantasma Branco (1856)
• O Primo da Califórnia (1858)
• Luxo e Vaidade (1860)
• A Torre em Concurso (1863)
• Cincinato Quebra-Louças (1873)

• A Nebulosa (1857)

• Ano Biográfico Brasileiro (1876)
• Mulheres Célebres (1878)

• Considerações sobre a Nostalgia