Author. He was a prolific 19th-century Portuguese author who wrote over 260 books, including at least 54 novels, plays, and essays. He was the first Portuguese author who was successful enough with his writings to earn an income. His writing is considered a combination of Romanticism and Realism with a highly personal dose of sarcasm, bitterness, and dark humor of his well-developed characters. Born Camilo Ferreira Botelho Castelo Branco, he is recognized for his turbulent, bohemian, and ultimately tragical life, which includes the trials of his illegitimate birth and the shame of a mental health history in his family. With both of his parents dying early in his life, his three maiden aunts were left in charge of him and his older sister. As a difficult child with behavioral problems, his early formal education was irregular and later, he studied in a Catholic seminary, and years later, studied medicine in 1842 and for the priesthood, before seeking a literary career. His first publication was in the newspaper "O Nacional" in 1846, and in 1851, his first novel "Anátema" or "Anathema" was published. In 1856 he established himself as a writer by publishing four novels: "A Neta do Arcediago" or "The Archdeacon's Granddaughter," "Um Homem de Brios" or "A Man of Honor," "O Sarcófago de Inês" or "The Sarcophagus of Inês," and the largely autobiographical romance, "Onde está a Felicidade?" or "Where is Happiness?" In 1858, he was elected a member to the Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon. He is credited with translating several English and French books to Portuguese. By his critics, he was often compared to his professional rival, a younger Portuguese author, Eça de Queiroz, who was well-educated as well as being a worldwide traveler. His novels are divided into three periods: his first is of a romantic Gothic style, as in the 1854 novel "Os Mistérios de Lisboa" or "The Mysteries of Lisbon." Starting in May of 2011, this novel was adapted to a nearly 6-hour television mini-series. He has been called the master of Romance. Second, mimicking Eça de Queiroz, he developed a style of manners, capturing the realism of the domestic and social life in Portugal during this era. His third period embraced his use of history, biography and literary criticism. Works of this period include "Noites de Lamego" or "Nights of Lamego," "Cavar em ruínas" or "Digging in Ruins," "Memórias do Bispo do Grão Pará" or "Memories of the Bishop of Grão Pará," and "Boémia do Espírito" or "Bohemia of the Spirit." He wrote a collection of novellas "Novelas do Minho" in 1875, or translated to English as "Minho's Novels," and "A Brasileira de Prazins" in 1882, or translated to English "The Brazilian Girl of Prazins." During his life, he had several romantic encounters with women, including a nun from the convent of Hail Mary, which led to crime. He was arrested twice: first, he was arrested for unearthing the remains of his first wife as maybe a reaction to grief or guilt. After marrying at 16, he abandoned his wife after the birth of his daughter for another woman, who gave him another daughter in 1848. In 1847, his first wife died and the next year his daughter at age four. The second arrest was after he and the wife of a prestigious and wealthy businessman, Ana Plácido, had an adulterous affair, which allegedly produced a son. The judge during this trial was the father of author Eça de Queiroz. While in prison, he wrote in two weeks his 1862 semi-autobiographical masterpiece, "Amor de Perdição" or "Love of Perdition," which was translated in 2000 to English as "Doomed Love." In 1943, 1979 and 2008, this novel was adapted to a Portuguese film. Later, describing the conditions of overcrowded prison life, he wrote "Memórias do Cárcere" or "Memories of Prison." In an act of boldness, King Pedro V made a point of visiting Castelo Branco in prison in 1860 and 1861. Years later he was acquitted of any crime, and the transcript of his trial is displayed in the 21st century at the Court of Porto Museum. After his release from prison in 1864 and Ana's husband's death in 1863, the two reunited, had a total of three sons, and married in 1888. Their family home was the one inherited from Ana's husband. After his middle son was diagnosed with being insane in 1876, he became despondent and depressed. In 1877 his oldest alleged son died at age 19 from a bohemian life of excesses. Castelo Branco was made Viscount of Correia Botelho, in 1885 in recognition of his contributions to literature, and with financial difficulties from no longer being able write from declining health, parliament gave him a pension for life. His youngest son became 1st Viscount of São Miguel de Seide, had an arranged marriage into a wealthy family, but died at the age of 31 from tuberculosis. His last piece "Otelo, o Mouro de Veneza," or "Otelo, the Moor of Venice" was published in 1886. As a complication of latent syphilis, he had failing eyesight and was facing the suffering of a chronic nervous system disease, neurosyphilis. After his physician's visit, he committed suicide by shooting himself in his left temple, while sitting in his now-famous wooden rocking chair, which has become part of the museum display in the family's home. A majority of his novels have not been translated to English and the ones that were are no longer in print.