Antônio de Castro Alves

Alves, Antônio de Castro (əntôˈnyŏ dĭ käsˈtrŏ älˈvəs) [key], 1847–71, Brazilian poet. A disciple of Victor Hugo, he came to fame with Espumas flutuantes [tossing spume] (1871). Despite a wild bohemian lifestyle, he was intensely nationalist and socially conscious. His best-known work, O navio negreiro [the slave ship], was instrumental in the abolition of slavery in Brazil and earned him the reputation as the "poet of the slaves."

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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