Luís Vaz de Camões- who hasn’t heard of this name? Well, for most Portuguese students it’s a scary name because it means studying and struggling with his masterpiece epic poem “Os Lusíadas”. Things don’t have to be like this since we should all be proud of this great piece of work which portrays the Portuguese Empire and the birth of the Portuguese identity.
Anyway, let me tell you about this greatest Poet. He lived in the 16th century and it is thought that he might have attended university because of his vast knowledge of both classical and contemporary culture and philosophy.
It is certain that he lost one of his eyes in Ceuta in a battle with the moors and that he had to return to Portugal. Unfortunately, he brought back no fortune, all he had was the manuscript of his epic poem. This work is in the way of the Renaissance epic and it is therefore written in ottava rima, with 1102 stanzas divided into 10 “cantos”. Unlike other epic poets, Camões did not choose a legendary topic, he wrote about contemporary or well documented events. Throughout Os Lusíadas Camões praises the courage of the Portuguese explorers since the portuguese people, including the explorers who are the mythical heroes of "Os Lusíadas".
Sadly, this amazing and unique poet died on June 10, 1580 and was buried in the church of St. Anna.
Written by Núria Monteiro
As Portuguese people we should be very proud of the poetic legacy Camões left, especially because even after 5 centuries his work is still read and appreciated not only in a national level but also worldwidely!