Famous Portuguese Poets

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 1 
Fernando Pessoa
(Portuguese Modernist Poet and Author of 'Mensagem' and 'The Book of Disquiet')
Fernando Pessoa
4
Birthdate: June 13, 1888
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: November 30, 1935

Fernando Pessoa was a Portuguese poet, writer, translator, and publisher. A prolific writer, he is considered one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. While he mostly wrote in the Portuguese language, he also wrote in English and French occasionally. Besides writing under his own name, he also wrote under approximately 75 other names.

 2 
Luís de Camões
(Portuguese Poet)
Luís de Camões
3
Birthdate: 1524 AD
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: June 10, 1580

Luís de Camões was a Portuguese poet whose mastery of verse often draws comparison to that of Homer, Shakespeare, Milton, and Dante. He is best remembered for his 1572 epic poem Os Lusíadas. Camões had such a great impact that Portuguese is sometimes referred to as the language of Camões. He is considered the Portuguese language's and Portugal's greatest poet.

 3 
Denis of Portugal
(King of Portugal from 1279 to 1325)
Denis of Portugal
3
Birthdate: October 9, 1261
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: January 7, 1325
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 4 
Orlando da Costa
(Portuguese Writer)
Orlando da Costa
3
Birthdate: 1929
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Maputo, Mozambique
Died: January 27, 2006

Orlando da Costa was a Portuguese writer best remembered for his works that express his experiences in Goa, India. He is also known as the father of the current Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa.

 5 
Rui de Noronha
(Poet and Journalist)
Rui de Noronha
4
Birthdate: October 28, 1909
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Maputo, Mozambique
Died: December 25, 1943

Rui de Noronha was a Mozambican poet best remembered as the forefather of modern Mozambican poetry. His dream of publishing a book of poems was never realized during his lifetime as he died at the age of 34. However, Dr. Domingos Reis Costa collected and revised 60 of his poems and published a posthumous edition titled Sonetos in 1946.

 6 
Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen
(Poet)
Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen
3
Birthdate: November 6, 1919
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Porto, Portugal
Died: July 2, 2004

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen was a Portuguese writer and poet whose remains have been entombed since 2014 in the National Pantheon. Her poetry has been translated into many world languages, including English. Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen's life and career inspired a 1969 documentary short film, which was director João César Monteiro's first completed film.

 7 
Almeida Garrett
(Poet, Playwright, and Novelist Considered as the Greatest Figure of Portuguese Romanticism)
Almeida Garrett
2
Birthdate: February 4, 1799
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Porto, Portugal
Died: December 9, 1854

Almeida Garrett was a Portuguese poet, playwright, novelist, orator, journalist, and politician. He is widely regarded as the most important figure of Portuguese Romanticism. Garrett was also a humanist and great revolutionary. A peer of the realm, Almeida Garrett proposed the creation of the Conservatory of Dramatic Art and the construction of the Queen Maria II National Theatre.

 8 
Duarte Pacheco Pereira
(Poet)
Duarte Pacheco Pereira
2
Birthdate: 1460 AD
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: 1533 AD

Duarte Pacheco Pereira was a Portuguese soldier, sea captain, explorer, and cartographer. He is best remembered for his voyages to the Cape Verde islands, West Africa, and India. Duarte Pacheco Pereira is also remembered for his extraordinary accomplishments in strategic warfare, mathematics, exploration, and astronomy.

 9 
Alexandre Herculano
(Portuguese Historian, Novelist and Poet Known for Introducing Romanticism to Portugal)
Alexandre Herculano
2
Birthdate: March 28, 1810
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: September 13, 1877

Alexandre Herculano was a Portuguese historian and novelist. He is often credited with introducing Romantic literature to Portugal. An important historian, Alexandre Herculano enjoyed national recognition similar to that of France's Victor Hugo.

 10 
Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage
(Portuguese Poet)
Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage
2
Birthdate: September 15, 1765
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Setúbal, Portugal
Died: December 21, 1805

Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage was a Portuguese poet who also served in the Portuguese Navy. He is best remembered for his modinhas, which are short, rhyming poems often sung with a guitar. He is also remembered for his interesting lifestyle as he had numerous love affairs.

 11 
Antero de Quental
(Portuguese Poet, Philosopher, and Writer)
Antero de Quental
2
Birthdate: April 18, 1842
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Died: September 11, 1891

Antero Tarquínio de Quental was a Portuguese philosopher, writer, and poet. Widely regarded as one of the most influential and prominent Portuguese language writers of all time, De Quental is also often counted among the greatest poets of his generation. His works are often compared to that of Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage, Luís Vaz de Camões, and Fernando Pessoa.

 12 
Miguel Torga
(One of the Greatest Portuguese Writers of the 20th Century)
Miguel Torga
2
Birthdate: August 12, 1907
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: São Martinho de Anta, Portugal
Died: January 17, 1995

Miguel Torga was a Portuguese writer best remembered for his poems and short stories. Considered a master of short stories, Torga is also widely regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest Portuguese writers. Miguel Torga was honored with several prestigious awards such as the Prémio Diário de Notícias, Prémio Internacional de Poesia, Prémio Camões, and Montaigne Prize.

 13 
José de Almada Negreiros
(Painter, writer)
José de Almada Negreiros
0
Birthdate: April 7, 1893
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Roça Saudade, Trindade, São Tomé
Died: June 15, 1970

Multi-dimensional Portuguese artist José de Almada Negreiros is best known for his distinctive designs for book covers, stamps, and posters. He had also penned poems, novels, essays, and plays. Though he wished to be classified as a futurist artist, his works didn’t have a fixed genre.

 14 
Mário de Sá-Carneiro
(Portuguese Author, One of the Most Original and Complex Figures of the Portuguese Modernist Movement)
Mário de Sá-Carneiro
2
Birthdate: May 19, 1890
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: April 26, 1916

Mário de Sá-Carneiro was one of the major figures of the Geração D'Orpheu, the Portuguese literary movement that brought in Modernism in Portuguese literature, and also launched the revue Orpheu. He later faced a financial crisis, began leading a bohemian life, and eventually committed suicide.

 15 
João de Castro
(4th Governor and Viceroy of Portuguese India)
João de Castro
1
Birthdate: February 27, 1500
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: June 6, 1548

Portuguese naval officer João de Castro not only served as the viceroy of Portuguese India but also contributed to the science of navigation immensely, with three pilot books. He also later discovered that the ship’s compass needle deviates due to the magnetism of iron objects.

 16 
Jose dos Santos Ferreira
(Poet)
Jose dos Santos Ferreira
0
Birthdate: July 28, 1919
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Portuguese Macau
Died: March 24, 1993

Jose dos Santos Ferreira was a Portuguese writer who wrote poetry, prose, operettas, radio shows, and plays. Born to a Cantonese mother and a Portuguese father, José was the last noteworthy poet to write in Macanese patois, the Portuguese-Cantonese creole. José dos Santos Ferreira is also remembered for writing, directing, and acting in his own productions.

 17 
Cesário Verde
(Portuguese Poet)
Cesário Verde
1
Birthdate: February 25, 1855
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: July 19, 1886

Portuguese author Cesário Verde was a pioneer of using colloquial language in Portuguese poetry. He left his studies to lead a bohemian life and later became a fruit farmer. Most of his works depict the countryside. Following his death, quite a few of his poems were released by his friend Silva Pinto.

 18 
António Feliciano de Castilho
(Portuguese Poet)
António Feliciano de Castilho
1
Birthdate: January 28, 1800
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: June 18, 1875

Though Portuguese poet António Feliciano de Castilho lost his eyesight at age 6, that never stopped him from writing, and he later emerged as a classical scholar. He was one of the major figures of the Portuguese Romantic movement and was known for his works such as Quadros Históricos de Portugal.

 19 
Eugénio de Andrade
(Portuguese Poet)
Eugénio de Andrade
1
Birthdate: January 19, 1923
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Fundão, Portugal
Died: June 13, 2005

Portuguese poet Eugénio de Andrade is best remembered for his works inspired by surrealism, haiku, and Greek poetry. The Camões Prize winner has also been the Ministry of Health inspector in Oporto for over 30 years. His best-known works include As Mãos e os Frutos and Adolescente.

 20 
Leonor de Almeida Portugal, Marquise of Alorna
(Portuguese Noblewoman, Painter, and Poet)
Leonor de Almeida Portugal, Marquise of Alorna
1
Birthdate: October 31, 1750
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: São Jorge de Arroios, Lisbon, Portugal
Died: October 11, 1839

Leonor de Almeida Portugal, Marquise of Alorna was a Portuguese noblewoman, poet, and painter. One of the best known exponents of the Portuguese Neoclassic and Neoclassicism, Leonor was recognized as one of Europe's most prominent literary figures at the time. 

 21 
Camilo Pessanha
(Portuguese Symbolist Poet)
Camilo Pessanha
1
Birthdate: September 7, 1867
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Coimbra, Portugal
Died: March 1, 1926

Portuguese poet Camilo Pessanha was not just a qualified lawyer but also taught in a high school in China. He is credited with being a pioneer of Symbolism in Portuguese poetry and was also an advisor to a number of governors. Known to be eccentric, he also collected Chinese art.

 22 
Guerra Junqueiro
(Civil servant)
Guerra Junqueiro
1
Birthdate: September 15, 1850
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Portugal
Died: July 7, 1923

Portuguese civil servant Guerra Junqueiro is remembered as the poet of the 1910 Portuguese Revolution. Initially a student leader, he later penned poems with socialist themes. His best-known works include The Old Age of the Eternal Father and The Simple Ones. Though he was against religious dogma, he eventually embraced Catholicism.

 23 
Jorge de Montemor
(Portuguese Novelist and Poet)
Jorge de Montemor
1
Birthdate: 1520 AD
Birthplace: Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal
Died: February 26, 1561

Portuguese author Jorge de Montemor is best known for his Spanish-language pastoral romance The Seven Books of the Diana. Though he studied music in his early days, he later also served in the army. He was apparently killed in a love feud in the Piedmont.

 24 
Teixeira de Pascoaes
(Portuguese Poet)
Teixeira de Pascoaes
1
Birthdate: November 2, 1877
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Amarante, Portugal
Died: December 14, 1952

Teixeira de Pascoaes was a Portuguese poet whose works earned him five nominations for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature during his lifetime. He is best remembered for publishing a magazine called A Águia. Considered one of the most prominent contemporary thinkers of Portugalidade and Saudade, De Pascoaes is also one of the most revisited and interpreted authors from Portugal.

 25 
António Nobre
(Portuguese Poet)
António Nobre
1
Birthdate: August 16, 1867
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Porto, Portugal
Died: March 18, 1900

António Nobre was a Portuguese poet best remembered for his magnum opus , a collection of poems. was the only work published during his lifetime and two other works of his were published posthumously. His contribution to literature was honored by erecting a monument for him in Leça da Palmeira.

 26 
António Ferreira
(Poet)
António Ferreira
1
Birthdate: 1528 AD
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: November 29, 1569

António Ferreira was a Portuguese poet best remembered for his tragedy Castro, the first of its kind in Portuguese. Castro was only the second tragedy ever written in modern Europe. António Ferreira is also remembered as the principal representative of Francisco de Sá de Miranda's classical school of literature.

 27 
Francisco de Sá de Miranda
(Poet)
Francisco de Sá de Miranda
1
Birthdate: August 28, 1481
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Coimbra, Portugal
Died: May 17, 1558

Francisco de Sá de Miranda was a Portuguese poet. He is credited with introducing various classical poetic forms, such as the sonnet, the eclogue, the elegy, and the ottava rima, to Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking regions. In addition to poems, Francisco de Sá de Miranda also wrote a couple of theatrical comedies.

 28 
Bernardim Ribeiro
(Poet)
Bernardim Ribeiro
1
Birthdate: 1482 AD
Birthplace: Torrao, Portugal
Died: September 30, 1552

Bernardim Ribeiro was a Portuguese writer and poet. He is best remembered for his pastoral romance Menina e moça, which is counted among the finest paradigms of pastoral romance in Renaissance literature. The book, which was published after Bernardim Ribeiro’s death, became a sensation in Portuguese-speaking countries.

 29 
Garcia de Resende
(Poet)
Garcia de Resende
1
Birthdate: 1469 AD
Birthplace: Évora, Portugal
Died: February 3, 1536

Garcia de Resende was a Portuguese poet, draftsman, chronicler, editor, musician, and architect. He is best remembered for his work, The Cancioneiro Geral, a compilation of poems from the 15th and 16th centuries. Garcia de Resende is also remembered for serving as a private secretary under the Portuguese King John II. 

 30 
David Mourão-Ferreira
(Portuguese Writer and Poet)
David Mourão-Ferreira
1
Birthdate: February 24, 1927
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: June 16, 1996

David Mourão-Ferreira was a Portuguese poet and writer. He is regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest contemporary Portuguese poets. Mourão-Ferreira also wrote scripts for TV shows and contributed immensely to newspapers and magazines, such as Diário Popular and Seara Nova. David Mourão-Ferreira is also credited with co-founding the literary magazine, Távola Redonda. 

 31 
Francisco Rodrigues Lobo
(Poet)
Francisco Rodrigues Lobo
0
Birthdate: 1580 AD
Birthplace: Leiria, Portugal
Died: November 4, 1622
 32 
Júlio Dinis
(Portuguese Poet, Playwright and Novelist)
Júlio Dinis
1
Birthdate: November 14, 1839
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Porto, Portugal
Died: September 12, 1871

Júlio Dinis was a Portuguese poet, novelist, playwright, and physician. He is best remembered for his novels, which are still widely read in Portugal. Many of his works, such as As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor, have been adapted into successful films and TV series. 

 33 
João de Deus de Nogueira Ramos
(Portuguese Poet)
João de Deus de Nogueira Ramos
1
Birthdate: March 8, 1830
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Silves, Portugal
Died: January 11, 1896

Portuguese poet João de Deus is best known for his iconic book Cartilha Maternal and for redefining Portuguese Romantic poetry. Though a law graduate, he later focused on writing and soared to fame with volumes such as Loose Leaves. Constantly riddled with financial issues, he also took up various menial jobs.

 34 
Eugénio de Castro
(Poet)
Eugénio de Castro
0
Birthdate: March 4, 1869
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Coimbra, Portugal
Died: August 17, 1944
 35 
Pedro Correia Garção
(Poet)
Pedro Correia Garção
0
Birthdate: June 13, 1724
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: November 10, 1772
 36 
Francisco Manoel de Nascimento
(Poet)
Francisco Manoel de Nascimento
0
Birthdate: December 21, 1734
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: February 25, 1819
 37 
Caetano da Costa Alegre
(Poet)
Caetano da Costa Alegre
0
Birthdate: April 26, 1864
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: São Tomé Island
Died: April 18, 1890
 38 
Bernardo Santareno
(Writer)
Bernardo Santareno
0
Birthdate: November 19, 1920
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Santarém, Portugal
Died: August 20, 1980
 39 
José Agostinho de Macedo
(Poet)
José Agostinho de Macedo
0
Birthdate: September 11, 1761
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Beja, Portugal
Died: October 2, 1831
 40 
Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida
(Poet)
Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida
0
Birthdate: September 10, 1740
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: June 23, 1811
 41 
Tomaz Vieira da Cruz
(Poet)
Tomaz Vieira da Cruz
0
Birthdate: April 22, 1900
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Constancia, Portugal
Died: June 7, 1960