Bento Teixeira

Bento Teixeira (1561? — 1618?) was a Portuguese-Brazilian poet. He is considered to be the introducer of Baroque in Brazil and the first Brazilian poet — however, this last affirmation is contested by many historians.

Life

Details about Teixeira's life are very sparse. His birthplace is most commonly accepted to be Porto, Portugal, to Manuel Álvares de Barros and Lianor Rodrigues. He moved to Brazil in 1567(?), most precisely to Bahia, but he had to flee to Pernambuco when he revealed he was Jewish.

In Pernambuco, he became a teacher of Arithmetics, Grammar and Latin. Returning to Bahia, he married Filipa Raposa in the city of Ilhéus, in 1584(?).

Allegedly, Teixeira murdered his wife under suspects of adultery, what made him flee to Pernambuco once more. Refugiated at the Monastery of São Bento, he wrote his masterpiece Prosopopeia.

Another version tells that Teixeira's wife accused him of being Jewish. After being interrogated and absolved in 1589, he was intimated by the caller of the Inquisition, and Teixeira then confessed that he was a follower of the Judaism. Enraged by his wife's delation, he murdered her and fled to the aforementioned monastery. However, he was found, arrested and sent to Lisbon in 1595(?), staying there until his death.

Works

Many works were attributed to Teixeira, such as:

• Relações do Naufrágio: According to studies made by Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen, it was written by Afonso Luís, pilot of a carrack named Santo Antônio, mentioned......
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