Beatriz Francisca de Assis Brandão

In 1779, Beatriz Brandão was born into a well-to-do family of European descent in the city of Vila Rica (now Ouro Preto), Minas Gerais in southeast Brazil.[3] Vila Rica, the epicenter of colonial Brazil's gold rush, was built upon this remarkable pioneering mining wealth, and at the time, it was both the capital of the province of Minas Gerais and the largest city in the Portuguese colony of Brazil. In the 18th century, Vila Rica was a vibrant place not only economically but also artistically and politically. As the center of the Baroque architecture movement in Brazil, the historic core of Ouro Preto is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The birthplace of the Inconfidência Mineira or Minas Conspiracy, Ouro Preto was also a center of agitation for Brazil's separation from the Portuguese Empire.[4]

Beatriz Brandão was the sixth and youngest child of dragoon Sergeant Francisco Sanches Brandão and Isabel Feliciana Narcisa de Seixas. The Brandão family had close ties with the Brazilian imperial family, which Beatriz Brandão maintained throughout her life.[3] She was also the first cousin of Maria Joaquina Dorotéia de Seixas, a participant in the Minas Conspiracy and lover of poet Tomás António Gonzaga whom he immortalized in Marília de Dirceu.[5]

She married a lieutenant (later, captain) named Vicente Batista Rodrigues Alvarenga in May 1816, at the age of 33.[3][6] Later, after living apart from her husband for seven years, Brandão was finally granted a divorce in 1839.[2][3] Once the divorce was finalized, she moved to the city of Rio de Janeiro, accompanied by a niece and a female slave.[2] She lived in Rio until her death[3][5] on February 5, 1868.[7]

Alongside her literary activities, Brandão worked throughout her life as an educator in schools for young women to support herself, in both Ouro Preto and Rio de Janeiro.[3] She was an influential advocate for women's right to education in Brazil.[8]

Brandão was known in her time for her poetry, prose, and translation work. Early on, she began to translate poems, theatrical works, and other literary pieces from Italian and French into Portuguese. Brandão was one of the writers in Minas Gerais in this period, like Cláudio Manuel da Costa (1729–1789) and Alvarenga Peixoto (1744–1793), who copied, translated, and adapted works of contemporary Italian and French playwrights like Pietro Metastasio.[9]

Brandão published her poems in several Brazilian newspapers throughout her career, often signing them "D. Beatriz" (Dona Beatriz). Brandão became prolific in her poetry after moving to Rio de Janeiro and achieved recognition through publication. Between 1852 and 1857, the Rio newspaper Marmota Fluminese alone published 38 of her poems. Her poetry was also published in a number of collected volumes, including Januário da Cunha Barbosa's Parnaso Brasileiro volumes beginning in 1831. She also published several collections of her poems, the first of which–Cantos da mocidade (Songs of Youth)–was printed in 1856.[3][5]

Unfortunately, the majority of Brandão's work is either lost because it was published in such limited volumes that none survive today or remains unknown because it has been left unpublished. This includes about 500 pages of unpublished poetry.[3]

Her native city, Ouro Preto, established a biennial prize in her honor in 2005 to recognize women who have made a significant contribution in the area in education and the arts.[10]