Sousa, Luís de

Sousa, Luís de

▪ Portuguese historian
original name Manoel De Sousa Coutinho
born 1555, Santarém, Port.
died May 5, 1632, Bemfica, near Lisbon

      monastic historian whose prose style in his chronicle of the Dominican order earned him an important position in the history of Portuguese literature.

      Sousa may have studied law at the University of Coimbra. About 1576 he became a novice in the Knights of Malta but did not continue his religious affiliation at that time. Between 1584 and 1586 he married Madalena de Vilhena, widow of a Portuguese military hero.

      In 1613, however, Sousa and Madalena decided to take religious vows and thereby separate for the rest of their lives. According to some, they were motivated by grief over the death of their young daughter; according to others, it was the discovery, or at least the rumour, that Madalena's first husband was still alive. Sousa entered the Dominican monastery at Benfica, where he spent the rest of his life, changing his name to Friar (Frei) Luís de Sousa and taking vows in 1614.

      Sousa soon took over the order's chronicle begun by Friar Luís Cácegas, the História de São Domingos, 3 vol. (1623, 1662, 1678; “History of Santo Domingo”). Its publication brought him immediate recognition as a master stylist of Portuguese prose. In addition, he completed the Vida do Arcebispo D. Frei Bartolomeu dos Mártires (1619; “Life of Archbishop D[ominican] Friar Bartholomeu dos Mártires”), a biography of a 16th-century Portuguese Dominican friar who became archbishop of the see of Braga, Port. The biography is considered a literary masterpiece, as well as a valuable historical record.

      Nevertheless, Sousa might have remained an obscure monastic chronicler known only to scholars had his own life not been dramatized and popularized by the 19th-century Portuguese writer João Baptista de Almeida Garrett. Garrett's romantic play Frei Luís de Sousa (1843), emphasizing the personal struggles of the man, made Sousa a legendary and heroic figure in Portuguese history.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Luis Pereira de Sousa — Luís Pereira de Sousa  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa.  Luís Pereira de Sousa Luís Pereira de Sousa est un journaliste portugais né dans les années 1940 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luis de Vasconcelos e Sousa (1742-1809) — Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa (1742 1809) Portrait de Dom Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, par Leandro Joaquim, 1790. Pour les articles homonymes …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luís Pereira De Sousa —  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa.  Luís Pereira de Sousa Luís Pereira de Sousa est un journaliste portugais né dans les années 1940 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, comte de Figueiró — Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa (1742 1809) Portrait de Dom Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, par Leandro Joaquim, 1790. Pour les articles homonymes …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luís de vasconcelos e sousa (1742-1809) — Portrait de Dom Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, par Leandro Joaquim, 1790. Pour les articles homonymes …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luís pereira de sousa —  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa.  Luís Pereira de Sousa Luís Pereira de Sousa est un journaliste portugais né dans les années 1940 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luis de Vasconcelos e Sousa — Primer ministro de Portugal 12 de julio de 1662 – 9 de septiembre de 1667 Monarca …   Wikipedia Español

  • Luís Pereira de Sousa —  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa.  Luís Pereira de Sousa Luís Pereira de Sousa est un journaliste portugais né dans les années 1940 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa (1742-1809) — Portrait de Dom Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, par Leandro Joaquim, 1790. Pour les articles homonymes, voir Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa. Luís de Vasconcelos …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Luis de Sousa — (* um 1555 in Santarem; † 5. Mai 1632 in Benfica, Lissabon; eigentlich Manoel de Sousa Coutinho) war ein bedeutender portugiesischer Historiker und Schriftsteller. Leben Luis de Sousa wurde als Manoel de Sousa Coutinho geboren. Sein Vater war… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”