Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay, Viscount of Taunay (b. Rio de Janeiro, February 22, 1843; d. Rio de Janeiro, January 25, 1871, was one of the foremost Brazilian writers in late 19th century, a historian and a distinguished politician. Ipanema beach A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Though anyone who creates a written work may be called a writer, the term is usually reserved for those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A historian is a person who studies history. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics. ...

Taunay was born to an aristocratic family of French origin in Rio de Janeiro. His father was Amado Félix Emílio Taunay and his mother the Baroness D. Gabriela Hermínia Robert D'Escragnolle Taunay. His father was a painter and a professor at the Academia das Belas-Artes.

After getting his baccalaureate in literature at the Colégio Pedro II, in 1858, Taunay studied Physical and Mathematical Sciences at the Military School of Rio de Janeiro. A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course that generally lasts three or four years. ... Literature is literally an acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has generally come to identify a collection of texts. ...

Taunay fought in the War of the Triple Alliance (also known as the Paraguayan War) between Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay against Paraguay, as an Army engineer. Upon his return to Rio, Taunay began a career as lecturer in his alma mater, the Military College. Simultaneously, he pursued a career in the Second Empire as a politician and was elected as a congressman and senator by the Conservative Party, and president (governor) of the provinces of Santa Catarina and Paraná. He was made Viscount of Taunay by Emperor D. Pedro II, who was a good friend and pupil of Alfredo's father. War of the Triple Alliance also known as the Paraguayan War in 1864-1870, was the bloodiest conflict in Latin-American history, fought between Paraguay and the allied countries of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. ... A nations army is its military, or more specifically, all of its land forces. ... An engineer may be someone who practices the engineering profession, or the driver of a rail locomotive. ... Santa Catarina is the name of several places: One of the federal states of Brazil; see Santa Catarina, Brazil. ... Other meanings: Paraná, Argentina, Paraná River Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the southern part of the country, bordering Paraguay and Argentina. ... Dom Pedro IIs family Dom Pedro II and President Ulysses S. Grant, Philadelphia Exposition, 1876 Dom Pedro II in his old age Dom Pedro II of Brazil Dom Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil (December 2, 1825-December 5, 1891) was the second and final Brazilian Emperor. ...

Taunay was a prolific author, having dabbed in fiction, sociology, music (he was a composer and performer as well), history and other subjects. In fiction, his best known books were Inocência (Innocence) and O Encilhamento (The Saddling). The later is one of the first examples of a "financial" novel (saddling is the name given to a speculative wave in the Brazilian economy of late 19th century which resulted in hyperinflation). The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. ... Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. ... Music is an art, entertainment, or other human activity which involves organized sound, though definitions may vary. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... History is a term for information about the past. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... Speculation is the buying, holding, and selling of stocks, commodities, futures, currencies, collectibles, real estate, or any valuable thing to profit from fluctuations in its price as opposed to buying it for use or for income - dividends, rent etc. ... A 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) Mark banknote, issued in Bavaria/Germany during the hyperinflation of 1923 (http://www. ...

When the Republic was proclaimed in 1889 and the Empire fell, D. Pedro II went into exile with the royal family, and Taunay, disgusted, left politics for ever. In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people that dont found their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people living in that state or country. ... 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... See Exile (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... Politics is the process and method of making decisions for groups. ...

Main literary works

• La Retraite de Laguna, 1871 (in French)
• Inocência, romance, 1872;
• Lágrimas do Coração. Manuscrito de uma Mulher, romance, 1873;
• Ouro sobre Azul, romance, 1875;
• Amélia Smith, drama, 1886;
• No Declínio, romance, 1889;
• O Encilhamento, romance, 1894;
• Memórias, 1948

External links