ALENCAR, JOS (MARTINIANO) DE

born May 1, 1829, Mecejana, Braz. died Dec. 12, 1877, Rio de Janeiro journalist, novelist, and playwright whose novel O Guarani (1857; The Guarani Indian) initiated the vogue of the Brazilian Indianista novel (romantic tales of indigenous life incorporating vocabulary of Amerindian origin referring to flora, fauna, and tribal customs). O Guarani, which was subsequently utilized as the libretto for an opera in Italian by the Brazilian composer Carlos Gomes, depicts the platonic love affair of Per, a noble savage, and Ceci, the white daughter of a wealthy landowner. Alencar's next most popular novel, Iracema (1865), deals with the love of a beautiful Indian maiden for a Portuguese soldier. In O Gacho (1870; The Gaucho) and O Sertanejo (1876; The Backlander), Alencar treats life in Brazil's frontier lands. In novels such as Lucola (1862), Diva (1864), and Senhora (1875), he laid the foundation for Brazilian psychological fiction. Alencar, who is considered the father of Brazilian fictional writing, also cultivated the historical novel in such works as As Minas de Prata (1862; The Silver Mines). His abolitionist stance is revealed in several plays, including Me (1860; Mother). Alencar also was a lawyer, a deputy in the legislature, and minister of justice (186870).