Eça de Queirós, José Maria de

Eça de Queirós, José Maria de

 or José Maria de Eça de Queiroz

(born Nov. 25, 1845, Póvoa do Varzim, Port.—died Aug. 16, 1900, Paris, France) Portuguese novelist. The illegitimate son of a magistrate, he began a career in law but turned to writing; later he held several diplomatic posts. He was associated with the Generation of '70, a group of intellectuals committed to social and artistic reform. His novels, in which he introduced naturalism and realism to Portuguese fiction, include The Sin of Father Amaro (1876), Cousin Bazilio (1878), and his masterpiece, The Maias (1888), a satire exploring the consequences of decadence in Portuguese society. He is often considered his country's greatest novelist.