author
Known by the pen name Carlos Selvagem, this Portuguese writer brought history and drama together in works that ranged from poetry and theater to military history. His writing career grew out of a life that also included army service, journalism, and public administration.
C. Afonso dos Santos is identified in library and book records as Carlos Afonso dos Santos, a name linked to the Portuguese author better known by the literary pseudonym Carlos Selvagem. Portuguese literary sources describe Carlos Selvagem as Carlos Tavares de Andrade Afonso dos Santos, born in Lisbon in 1890 and died there in 1973.
He was more than a novelist or playwright: official Portuguese literary references describe him as an army officer, journalist, dramatist, historian, and colonial administrator. Those experiences seem to have fed directly into his writing, which became especially noted for historical plots and for a strong presence in Portuguese theater in the years after the First World War.
His bibliography includes drama, prose, and historical writing, and catalog records connect the name C. Afonso dos Santos with works such as O trophéo. Even when his books appear under different forms of his name, they point back to a writer whose career moved between literature, public life, and history.