Quental, Antero de

Quental, Antero de (äntĕ`rō dĭ kēntäl`), 1842–91, Portuguese poet. A brilliant student at the Univ. of Coimbra, he led the Coimbra dissidents in their opposition to the monarchy and to romanticism. He worked for a time in Lisbon organizing the Portuguese Socialist party. His poetry can be considered a search for abstract truth through inner experience. His volumes of poetry include the carefully restrained Odes modernas (1865) and the exquisitely fashioned Sonetos (1881). Plagued by ill health and psychological torment, he committed suicide. Despite his limited output, Quental is one of the principal modern Portuguese poets.