Luís de Camões

Luis Vaz de Camoes was a Portuguese poet, considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare and Milton. He is sometimes rendered in English as Camoens. He was born around 1524 or 1525 and died on 10 June 1580, and his epic Os Lusiadas is the national poem of Portugal. He wrote a considerable amount of lyric poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic Os Lusiadas, The Lusiads. His collection of poetry, The Parnasum of Luis de Camoes, was lost during his life. His influence is so profound that Portuguese is sometimes called the language of Camoes, and the day of his death, 10 June, is Portugal's national day.