Antonio Feliciano de Castilho

Born in Lisbon in 1800, António Feliciano de Castilho lost his sight as a child, but with strong family support and an exceptional memory he continued his studies and became deeply learned in classical literature. He published early and went on to build a wide-ranging career as a poet, translator, and man of letters.

Castilho became one of the central figures of Portuguese Romanticism. Alongside poetry, he wrote and translated extensively and took a strong interest in education, which made him an influential public literary figure rather than only a writer of verse.

He was also a controversial one. His ideas about literature and style placed him at the center of major debates in Portuguese cultural life, so his legacy includes both admiration for his craft and arguments about his influence. He died in Lisbon in 1875, still recognized as one of the defining literary personalities of his century.