
In the bustling streets of 1880s Porto, a melancholy poem unfolds around a single, shocking death. The city’s theatres, cafés and aristocratic salons buzz with gossip, while a young, impeccably dressed gentleman captures everyone’s attention with his flamboyant arrival. Amid the clamor, a striking woman—known as the “Formosa das Violetas” for the violets she carries and wears—draws admiration and curiosity alike.
Elisa Loeve‑Weimar, the sister of a celebrated literary figure, is poised at the center of this social whirl. She marries a prosperous Portuguese merchant who, after exile for political reasons, has built a life of generosity and wealth among expatriates in London. The narrative follows her luminous presence, the intricate web of friends and rivals surrounding her, and the events that lead to the fateful moment when she chooses a final, tragic escape.
Language
pt
Duration
~33 minutes (31K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Porto: Typographia de A. J. da Silva Teixeira Cancella Velha, 63 1880
Release date
2008-01-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1825–1890
A restless, hugely prolific novelist, he helped shape modern Portuguese fiction with stories full of passion, irony, and emotional intensity. His life was as dramatic as his books, and that energy runs through the work readers still discover today.
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