Eça de Queirós is the most representative writer of Portuguese realism. In his novels and short stories he portrays diverse aspects of Portuguese society, showing its shortcomings and defects. His detailed and profound treatment of issues associated with religion and the church, the family structure, education, and the political and economic life of nineteenth-century Portugal have earned him respect as a gifted prose writer both in Portugal and abroad.

José Maria Eça de Queirós was born on 25 November 1845 in Póvoa de Varzim. He was registered as the natural son of the magistrate José de Almeida Teixeira de Queirós. His mother's name, Carolina Augusta Pereira de Eça, does not appear on the birth certificate, probably because she and Queirós's father did not marry until four years after his birth. Queiró...