Anthology of Silvio Romero

Silvio Romero, whose full name is Silvio Vasconcelos da Silveira Ramos Romero, was born on April 21, 1851 in Lagarto, in the state of Sergipe, Brazil, and died on June 18, 1914 in Rio de Janeiro. He was a prominent Brazilian polymath, whose work spanned poetry, literary criticism, folklore studies, ethnography, sociology, and politics.
Romero attended the Faculty of Law of Recife between 1868 and 1873, and during the 1870s, he collaborated as a literary critic in several newspapers in Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro. In 1875, he was elected provincial deputy for Estância, Sergipe, and settled in Rio de Janeiro, where he gained notoriety, especially as a literary critic. He published his first two books, A Filosofia no Brasil and Cantos do Fim do Século, his first book of poetry, in 1878.
From 1881 to 1910, Romero taught philosophy at the Colégio Pedro II in Rio de Janeiro. He was one of the founders of the Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) in 1897, and his debates and exchanges contributed significantly to the dissemination of the Escola do Recife, an important philosophical current of his time, throughout the country.
In 1882, he published the Introduction to the History of Brazilian Literature, which currently has a five-volume edition. With his book Últimos Harpejos of 1883, Romero closed his career as a poet.
From 1900 to 1902, Romero served as a federal deputy for the Republican Party. He was also known for his interest in the figure of Antônio Conselheiro, whom he considered a vulgar missionary who had gathered a group of predatory fanatics.
Polemics were a constant feature in the life of Romero, who engaged in numerous heated debates with other writers, intellectuals and politicians of his time. His views on race and eugenics have generated controversy to this day. However, there is no denying his influence and contribution to Brazil’s intellectual and literary landscape.