Luís de Camões

Luís de Camões
Portrait by Fernão Gomes, c. 1577
Born	Luís Vaz de Camões c. 1524-1525 Lisbon(?), Coimbra(?), Constância(?) or Alenquer(?), Kingdom of Portugal
Died	20 June [O.S. 10 June] 1580 (aged 55-56) Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal
Occupation	Poet
Nationality	Portuguese
Alma mater	University of Coimbra
Period	Portuguese Renaissance
Genre	Epic poetry
Literary movement	Classicism
Notable works	The Lusiads
Relatives	Camões Family

Luís Vaz de Camões (Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈiʒ ˈvaʒ dɨ kaˈmõjʃ]; sometimes rendered in English as Camoens or Camoëns (e.g. by Byron in English Bards and Scotch Reviewers), /ˈkæm oʊˌənz/; c. 1524 or 1525 – 20 June [O.S. 10 June] 1580), is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Vondel, Homer, Virgil and Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads). His collection of poetry The Parnasum of Luís de Camões was lost in his lifetime. The influence of his masterpiece Os Lusíadas is so profound that Portuguese is sometimes called the "language of Camões".

Many details concerning the life of Camões remain unknown, but he is thought to have been born around 1524. Luís Vaz de Camões was the only child of Simão Vaz de Camões and wife Ana de Sá de Macedo. His birthplace is unknown. Lisbon, Coimbra or Alenquer are frequently presented as his birthplace, although the latter is based on a disputable interpretation of one of his poems. Constância is also considered a possibility as his place of birth: a statue of him can be found in the town.