House of Camilo Castelo Branco - V. N. Famalicão, Portugal - Dead Poets' Society Memorials on Waymarking.com

Camilo Castelo-Branco:
March 16, 1825 - June 1, 1890), was a prolific Portuguese writer of the 19th century.
Having authored over 260 books (mainly novels, plays, essays and poetry). His writing is, overall, considered original in that it combines the dramatic and sentimental spirit of Romanticism with a highly personal combination of sarcasm, bitterness and dark humour. He is also celebrated for his peculiar wit and anecdotal character, as well as for his turbulent (and ultimately tragical) life.
His writing, which is centered in the local and the picturesque and is in a general sense affiliated with the Romantic tradition, is often regarded in contrast to that of Eça de Queiroz - a cosmopolitan dandy and a fervorous proponent of Realism, who was Camilo's literary contemporary in spite of being 20 years younger. In this tension between Camilo and Eça - often dubbed by critics the literary guerilla - many have interpreted a synthesis of the two great tendencies present in the Portuguese literature of the 19th century.
Camilo was made a viscount (Visconde de Correia Botelho) in 1885 in recognition of his contributions to literature, and when his health deteriorated and he could no longer write, parliament gave him a pension for life. Going blind (because of syphilis) and suffering from chronic nervous disease, Castelo Branco committed suicide with a revolver in 1890, while sitting in his now-famous wooden rocking chair that you can see when visiting the house museum.

The House:
The House of Camilo, customary description of the residence of the writer Camilo Castelo Branco, is located in the parish of San Miguel de Seide, municipality of Vila Verde, Braga.
The house was built by the first husband of Anna Placido Pinheiro Alves, around 1830, when he returned from Brazil in the possession of copious fortune. Ana Plácido Camilo lived in this house about 26 years, from the winter of 1863 to suicide in 1890.

The house suffered a fire on March 17, 1915, it was rebuilt into a museum of Camilo in 1922. In the late 40th of the past century, the house has undergone profound restoration, being since then, much as it was when been inhabited by the writer.

On June 1, 2005, on the occasion of 115 years of the death of the writer, was opened nex to the House of Camilo a building designed by the architect Alvaro Siza Vieira, which includes an auditorium, lecture halls and temporary exhibitions, cafeteria, offices and job reservations.

It is classified as a Public Interest since 1978.

Was considered the best Portuguese museum, 2006.

Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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