Felipe D'Oliveira — born Felipe Daudt de Oliveira, in August 23, 1890 — was a Brazilian poet, journalist and pharmacist, born in Santa Maria, a city located in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of the country. Now, a mostly forgotten man of letters, he has enjoyed a moderate degree of fame and celebrity during his lifetime.
Pharmacist by profession, he moved to the state's capital, Porto Alegre, when he was eighteen years old. Early in his youth, he started to collaborate in several newspapers and magazines under his own name, and under several pseudonyms as well, which was a normal habit back then. He also wrote poetry, possibly being remarkably influenced by the European symbolists. Soon thereafter, this literary school was perfectly integrated into his personal style, while he also became a member of the Grupo dos Sete — which means 'Group of Seven' —, a circle of intellectuals and friends dedicated to spreading symbolism in Rio Grande do Sul. In 1911, he published his first book of poetry, titled Vida Extinta.
The poetry of Felipe D'Oliveira is generally simple in substance, but marked by a sensibility of splendor, grace and perception of reality that becomes tangentially circunspect, as he hides underneath the surface of the words an intricate cosmogony of vulnerable restlessness, that subtlety rises to the forefront of the genesis of his emotional horizon. Despite the fact that at twenty-one years old, he could be inadvertently considered a young and talented poet on the rise, his second volume of poetry — titled Lanterna Verde — would be published more than fifteen years later, in 1926.
Besides the fact that he was an an accomplished intellectual, Felipe D'Oliveira also displayed fitness for physical activity. He was an avid fencing practitioner, and founded in Rio de Janeiro the Federação Carioca de Esgrima, an association dedicated to this sport.
Pharmacist by profession, he moved to the state's capital, Porto Alegre, when he was eighteen years old. Early in his youth, he started to collaborate in several newspapers and magazines under his own name, and under several pseudonyms as well, which was a normal habit back then. He also wrote poetry, possibly being remarkably influenced by the European symbolists. Soon thereafter, this literary school was perfectly integrated into his personal style, while he also became a member of the Grupo dos Sete — which means 'Group of Seven' —, a circle of intellectuals and friends dedicated to spreading symbolism in Rio Grande do Sul. In 1911, he published his first book of poetry, titled Vida Extinta.
The poetry of Felipe D'Oliveira is generally simple in substance, but marked by a sensibility of splendor, grace and perception of reality that becomes tangentially circunspect, as he hides underneath the surface of the words an intricate cosmogony of vulnerable restlessness, that subtlety rises to the forefront of the genesis of his emotional horizon. Despite the fact that at twenty-one years old, he could be inadvertently considered a young and talented poet on the rise, his second volume of poetry — titled Lanterna Verde — would be published more than fifteen years later, in 1926.
Besides the fact that he was an an accomplished intellectual, Felipe D'Oliveira also displayed fitness for physical activity. He was an avid fencing practitioner, and founded in Rio de Janeiro the Federação Carioca de Esgrima, an association dedicated to this sport.
Cover of an edition of the complete works of Felipe D'Oliveira. Felipe D'Oliveira was also a politically minded and active individual. He was an ardent suporter of the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution — despite the fact that he was not involved at all in this event —, an uprising that took place in the state of São Paulo, against the government of fascist dictator Getúlio Vargas. For his political convictions, Felipe D'Oliveira was pursued by the police, but managed to evade them succesfully. After getting into exile at an embassy, he went to France, where he would die in a car accident, in February 17, 1933, at forty-two years old.
He had some books published posthumously, of which we can highlight Alguns Poemas, a collection of poetry, released in 1937, and the prose work titled Livro Póstumo, released the following year, in 1938. Unfortunately, as soon as he died, Felipe D'Oliveira was immediately forgotten by the public and the literary establishment, something that sadly happened to most of his contemporaries, in Brazil.
In the recent past, however, more specifically during the nineties, some of these forgotten authors — including Felipe D'Oliveira —, had their works rediscovered by a new generation of scholars and intellectuals, who were willing to rescue the literary legacy of once notable, prestigious and relevant writers, who had been entirely neglected for decades by the public, the publishing market and the universities, to introduce them to a whole new audience, who never had the opportunity to read them. Although far from being as comprehensive as it deserved, this work was fundamental to rescue important parts of Brazil's literary canon, that had been entirely forgotten by the sands of time. Now, the formidable work of poets like Felipe D'Oliveira, as well as several other equally magnificent authors, can be properly appreciated, as they weren't for a long time.
Wagner
He had some books published posthumously, of which we can highlight Alguns Poemas, a collection of poetry, released in 1937, and the prose work titled Livro Póstumo, released the following year, in 1938. Unfortunately, as soon as he died, Felipe D'Oliveira was immediately forgotten by the public and the literary establishment, something that sadly happened to most of his contemporaries, in Brazil.
In the recent past, however, more specifically during the nineties, some of these forgotten authors — including Felipe D'Oliveira —, had their works rediscovered by a new generation of scholars and intellectuals, who were willing to rescue the literary legacy of once notable, prestigious and relevant writers, who had been entirely neglected for decades by the public, the publishing market and the universities, to introduce them to a whole new audience, who never had the opportunity to read them. Although far from being as comprehensive as it deserved, this work was fundamental to rescue important parts of Brazil's literary canon, that had been entirely forgotten by the sands of time. Now, the formidable work of poets like Felipe D'Oliveira, as well as several other equally magnificent authors, can be properly appreciated, as they weren't for a long time.
Wagner
