Garrett, João Batista de Almeida

Garrett, João Batista de Almeida (zhwouN bətēsh`tə dĭ əlmā`də gərĕt`), 1799–1854, Portuguese dramatist, poet, journalist, and orator, leader of the romantic movement in Portugal. After a period in the Azores he returned to graduate from the Univ. of Coimbra. An ardent liberal democrat, he supported the revolution of 1820 and was twice forced into exile (1823–26, 1828–32). Upon his return he abandoned classicism for a romanticism that he expressed most effectively in the plays Alfageme de Santarém and Frei Luis de Sousa (tr. Brother Luiz de Sousa, 1909), and the long poems Camões and Dona Branca. Generally considered the greatest of Portuguese dramatists, he was a significant poet and folklorist as well. Almeida Garrett held numerous political offices, working effectively for the democratic cause. His major works include collections of poetry, Flores sem fruto [flowers without fruit] (1844), Fôlhas caídas [fallen leaves] (1853); a book of folklore, Romanceiro (1843); and the prose Viagens na minha terra [journeys in my native land] (1846).