António Dinis da Cruz e Silva

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António Dinis da Cruz e Silva (* 1731 in Lisbon ; † October 5, 1799 in Rio de Janeiro ) was a Portuguese lawyer and poet , best known for his heroically comical, socially satirical poem O Hissope , written in 1768 and published posthumously in 1802 .

Life

Degree, lawyer and writer

Dinis, son of a carpenter from Lisbon who immigrated to Brazil , studied Latin and philosophy at the Congregation of the Oratory . In 1747 he began studying law at the University of Coimbra , where he wrote his first poems in 1750. After completing his studies, he took up a position as a lawyer in Lisbon in 1753 , but devoted much of his time to his literary work in the following six years.

In 1756 he was one of the founders of the Arcádia Lusitana , a literary society in Lisbon that was concerned with the training of its members, the cultivation of the art of poetry and the restoration of good taste. Under the influence of enlightened French literature of the 18th century , he wrote works in prose and verse under the pseudonym Elpino Nonacriense in the next few years before he left the Society in February 1760 to become a judge in Castelo de Vide . When he was on a short visit to Lisbon, the Arcádia Lusitana found itself in an internal crisis that finally led to the dissolution of the company in 1774.

His literary masterpiece O Hissope

Illustration to O Hissope by Joaquim Manuel de Macedo (1878)
Illustration to O Hissope (1878)

In 1764 he became an auditor for a regiment stationed in Elvas . During his ten years there, he closed with the governor of Elvas and the local literary circle due to his well-being and eloquence .

As in most dioceses and garrison towns, the clerical and military elements dominated society in Elvas, although in the distant provincial center there was enmity between the then bishop of Elvas Lourenço II. De Lencastre and the governor and their respective supporters. Dinis knew how to observe these different characters closely and reflected their vanities, intrigue and ignorance in his masterpiece O Hissope .

The background to this was that there was a dispute between the bishop, a proud, arrogant prelate , and the deacon in 1768 : It was about the right of the bishop to get holy water from the latter at a private side door of the cathedral instead of at the main entrance. This became a matter of principle, as no one wanted to withdraw from their rights, so that there was a legal battle that split the city into two camps. They argued over the arguments of both sides, and enjoyed the ridiculous circumstances that accompanied the dispute. After the deacon died, his nephew succeeded him. This successfully sued the royal court, so that the bishop gave up his presumption.

O Hissope , the treated these events, was dictated in 17 days, and consists in the revised during the years 1770-1772 version of songs ( Cantos ) of blank verse . The pressure of the absolutism prevailing at the time allowed the events to be presented only as satire . Dinis wrote an original work that mocked the clergy and prevailing Gallomania, and contains episodes full of humor.

The poem has been compared to the comical-heroic epic Le Lutrin Nicolas Boileau because both are based on petty ecclesiastical quarrels, with this being the only similarity.

In 1774 Dinis returned to Lisbon and tried to revive the Arcadia Lusitana , which he failed, however, as his influence was lacking due to his long absence and earlier leading members such as Pedro António Correia Garção and Domingos dos Reis Quita had died.

Judgeships in Brazil and Portugal

In April 1776 he returned to Brazil and was appointed judge at the Court of Appeal ( Tribunal da relação ) of Rio de Janeiro and was awarded the Order of Avis . In addition to his work as a judge, he studied the natural history and mineralogy of Brazil.

In 1789 he returned to Portugal, where he was initially a judge at the Court of Appeal of Porto , before he became a judge at the Casa da Supplicação in July 1790 . A short time later he was sent again to Brazil in this capacity to support the trial of the republican insurgents in Minas Gerais . The leaders of this revolt, called Inconfidência Mineira , included personalities such as Tiradentes , Tomás Antônio Gonzaga , Cláudio Manuel da Costa, and Inácio José de Alvarenga Peixoto .

In December 1792 he was appointed Chancellor of the Court of Appeal of Rio de Janeiro and then in 1798 a member of the Overseas Council ( Conselho Ultramarino ).

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personal data
SURNAME Cruz e Silva, António Dinis da
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Elpino Nonacriense (stage name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Portuguese poet and judge
DATE OF BIRTH 1731
PLACE OF BIRTH Lisbon
DATE OF DEATH October 5, 1799
Place of death Rio de Janeiro