Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis Brazilian writer, novelist Date of Birth: 21.07.1839 Country: Brazil

1. Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis: Biography of a Brazilian Writer
2. Early Life
3. Writing Career
4. Personal Life and Legacy

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis: Biography of a Brazilian Writer

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis was a renowned Brazilian writer and novelist. Today, he is widely recognized as the greatest classic of Brazilian literature. However, during his lifetime, Machado de Assis' works did not enjoy popularity beyond Brazil. He was multilingual, fluently speaking languages such as French, English, and German, and he even learned Greek by the end of his life. Machado de Assis' works had a significant influence on the formation of the Brazilian literary school during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. American literary critic Harold Bloom considers him the greatest black writer of all time, as Machado de Assis' father was of mixed race. In Brazil itself, however, he is classified as a "pardo," a term used to describe individuals of mixed Brazilian ethnicity with African ancestry.

Early Life

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis was born on June 21, 1839, in Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of Brazil. His father was a mixed-race house painter, while his mother was a Portuguese woman from the Azores Islands who worked as a laundress. Machado de Assis was born in the countryside residence of a senator's widow, who became his godmother and provided support to his parents. He attended a public school and, although not the most diligent student, he had a good command of Latin thanks to a local priest. When Machado de Assis was 10 years old, his mother passed away, and his father moved to São Cristóvão, taking him along. In 1854, he gained a stepmother who worked at a girls' school, where Machado de Assis was allowed to study. In the evenings, he studied French with an immigrant baker. By the age of 15, Machado de Assis's acquaintance, who owned a bookstore, printing house, and newspaper, published one of his poems, and the following year, he recommended him to work as an apprentice typographer at the 'Imprensa Oficial.'

Writing Career

Machado de Assis's inclination toward writing was encouraged by Manuel Antônio de Almeida, the chief editor of the newspaper, who himself was a novelist. In 1858, Machado de Assis became a proofreader at the newspaper 'Correio Mercantil,' and continued writing for 'Marmota Fluminense' and several other newspapers, although he earned very little and led a modest life, sometimes managing with just one meal a day. During this time, he learned English and read the original works of Laurence Sterne, Shakespeare, Byron, and Jonathan Swift, after which he began studying German. In 1860, Machado de Assis moved to the 'Diário do Rio de Janeiro' and wrote several plays, as he became interested in theater. However, his friend advised him to write what needed to be read rather than performed. Gradually, Joaquim gained some recognition and began signing his works as Machado de Assis. In 1864, his father passed away, and Machado de Assis dedicated a collection of poems to his parents.

When the Liberal Party came into power, Machado de Assis believed that he might secure a position that would improve his living conditions. To his surprise, in 1867, Emperor Dom Pedro II appointed him as the director of the 'Diário Oficial' publication and honored him with knighthood. In 1888, Machado de Assis became an officer of the Order of the Rose.

Personal Life and Legacy

In 1868, Machado de Assis met Carolina Augusta Xavier de Novais, the sister of his colleague. She was five years older than him. Their marriage was disapproved by Carolina's relatives due to Machado de Assis' mixed racial background, as Carolina was of European descent. Nevertheless, they married in November 1869. Although they did not have any children, they considered their union perfect and were very happy together. Machado de Assis managed to build a successful career in the bureaucratic field, eventually becoming the head of one of the departments in the Ministry of Agriculture. He was a shy and modest man in his personal life, but highly intelligent and knowledgeable. He deeply respected Pedro II for his kindness, honesty, and patriotism, never involving himself in politics but disapproving of slavery. Machado de Assis published three poetry collections but received a lukewarm reception from readers, prompting him to explore other literary genres such as novels and short stories. He published nine novels, seven collections of short stories, a novella, and four poetry collections. By the late 1880s, he had become a popular and well-known writer. From 1897 to 1908, Machado de Assis served as the president of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Today, he is considered one of the "100 Greatest Writers of the World." His wife passed away in October 1904, and in his final years, the writer felt incredibly lonely, experiencing depression. He passed away on September 29, 1908.