If you come to Tobias Barreto from Aracaju - the state capital - you'll probably see a statue, sculpted in bronze, which is basically a guy in a suit holding a book. This guy is Tobias Barreto, the man who left a very important legacy.
He was born in June 7, 1839, in the village of Campos do Rio Real, where nowadays the city named after him is located. He was a philosopher, poet, essayist and jurist, and he is the patron of the chair number 38, at Academia Brasileira de Letras.
His work is significative, considering the fact that he never came to know the Brazilian capital, Rio de Janeiro, back then. Barreto was a skilled speaker, and his lectures captivated everyone who watched them. He was an admirer of German authors; such admiration was fully expressed in his work German Studies. His name is present in squares, monuments and even a theater, in Sergipe, Rio, and Germany. I have no information about his works translated into English.
Every year we have in our city a day dedicated to remember Tobias's work and life. This day is June, 7 - the day he was born. Many locals don't know anything about him. No wonder they can't tell a single story on his life; it's very common in Brazil people forget their roots, their poets, their heroes.
But things are changing here. The life of Tobias Barreto is becoming more and more known by the students, especially because schools are giving classes about him, and the word is being spread. Maybe someday we will have plenty of knowledge on his work, his poems, his inheritance.
There are some really interesting Tobias's quotations, and I'll dare to translate one of them into English, for you:
The heart is also a metaphysician / It trembles for forms that are invisible / It wanders, dreaming of enchanted worlds / And wanting some things that are unattainable
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