O Crime do Padre Amaro
Encyclopedia
O Crime do Padre Amaro ("The Crime of Father Amaro") is a novel by the 19th-century Portuguese
writer José Maria de Eça de Queiroz. It was first published in 1875
to great controversy.
. Amaro lacks a vocation, having been pushed into the priesthood by his aristocratic patrons, the Marquesa de Alegros and, later, the Conde de Ribamar, and, owing to the vow of chastity he was obliged to take, is obsessed with women and deeply sexually frustrated. Upon arriving in Leiria, he falls for Amélia, the beautiful daughter of his landlady, a pious widow and the mistress of his superior, Canon Dias. After Amélia's fiancé, João Eduardo, publishes an exposé of the local clergy's venal habits in the town's newspaper under a pseudonym, Amaro and his colleagues and parishioners expose João Eduardo as the author of the piece, pressure Amélia to break off the engagement, and drive João Eduardo out of town. Amaro begins a sexual relationship with Amélia, meeting first in his coal cellar and then in the bell-ringer's house, using charitable visits to his bedridden, mentally disabled daughter as a cover. His love affair with Amélia ends in tragedy when she becomes pregnant, and is forced to seclude herself in the countryside for the duration of the pregnancy in order to prevent a scandal. João Eduardo returns to Leiria, but refuses to marry Amelia in order to render the child legitimate. Amaro and his maid, Dionisia, who also acts as a midwife, find a wet-nurse who, it is implied, kills babies in her care. Amélia gives birth to a healthy boy, who is handed over to the wet-nurse and killed. Amélia suffers complications after the birth and dies of a burst aneurysm. The actual paternity of Amélia's child, while the subject of gossip, never comes to light, and Amaro moves on to another parish. The novel leaves him in Lisbon, discussing the events of the Paris Commune
.
directed a Spanish-language version of O Crime do Padre Amaro (El crimen del padre Amaro
) in Mexico
. It starred Gael García Bernal
as Father Amaro and was greeted with public outrage in Mexico, where Christian
groups called for it to be banned. In 2002, it was one of the Best Foreign Language Film Nominees at the 75th Academy Awards
. The film was criticized in Portugal
as insufficiently faithful to the novel. It was said that Mexico in 2002 has little or nothing to do with the 19th century context in the novel; in addition, Amaro's motivation is different. In the novel his education steers him into the priest
hood, whereas in the film he chooses to follow this path himself and has some anticlerical views. Finally, Eça's Amélia is older (aged 23) than her film equivalent, although the actress who played the part (Ana Claudia Talancón
) turned 22 in the year the film was released.
In 2005, Carlos Coelho da Silva directed a movie O Crime do Padre Amaro in Portugal. This was a production sponsored by SIC
television channel. Padre Amaro (Jorge Corrula
) and Amélia (Soraia Chaves
) are the main characters, and sex
and nudity
are main ingredients. According to the IMDB, it is (as of January 2006) the most successful Portuguese movie in Portuguese box office history.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487887/trivia
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
writer José Maria de Eça de Queiroz. It was first published in 1875
1875 in literature
The year 1875 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*October 1 - American poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe is reburied in Westminster Hall and Burying Ground with a larger memorial marker. Some controversy arose years later as to whether the correct body was exhumed.*...
to great controversy.
Plot summary
The novel concerns a young priest, Amaro, who serves as diocesan administrator at LeiriaLeiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
. Amaro lacks a vocation, having been pushed into the priesthood by his aristocratic patrons, the Marquesa de Alegros and, later, the Conde de Ribamar, and, owing to the vow of chastity he was obliged to take, is obsessed with women and deeply sexually frustrated. Upon arriving in Leiria, he falls for Amélia, the beautiful daughter of his landlady, a pious widow and the mistress of his superior, Canon Dias. After Amélia's fiancé, João Eduardo, publishes an exposé of the local clergy's venal habits in the town's newspaper under a pseudonym, Amaro and his colleagues and parishioners expose João Eduardo as the author of the piece, pressure Amélia to break off the engagement, and drive João Eduardo out of town. Amaro begins a sexual relationship with Amélia, meeting first in his coal cellar and then in the bell-ringer's house, using charitable visits to his bedridden, mentally disabled daughter as a cover. His love affair with Amélia ends in tragedy when she becomes pregnant, and is forced to seclude herself in the countryside for the duration of the pregnancy in order to prevent a scandal. João Eduardo returns to Leiria, but refuses to marry Amelia in order to render the child legitimate. Amaro and his maid, Dionisia, who also acts as a midwife, find a wet-nurse who, it is implied, kills babies in her care. Amélia gives birth to a healthy boy, who is handed over to the wet-nurse and killed. Amélia suffers complications after the birth and dies of a burst aneurysm. The actual paternity of Amélia's child, while the subject of gossip, never comes to light, and Amaro moves on to another parish. The novel leaves him in Lisbon, discussing the events of the Paris Commune
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
.
Characters
- Father Amaro - Amaro was born in Lisbon to parents who worked as domestic servants for the marquise of Alegros. After being orphaned at the age of six, he was adopted by the marquise, who decided to educate him at home. He became lazy and womanish thereafter. When Amaro was 13 years old, the marquise died, and he was sent to the seminarySeminaryA seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
although he didn't have a vocationVocationA vocation , is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.-Senses:...
. After arriving in Leiria, where he managed to get a placement, he became involved in a romantic relationship with Amélia, the daughter of Senhora Joanneira with whom he is living, and the two embark on a passionate love affair. - Amélia - Daughter of Joanneira, she didn't know her father and was educated in a very religious environment, because her mother received a lot of visits by 'beatas', exceedingly devout members of the Church. She is betrothed to João Eduardo, a left-wing clerk, but she falls in love with Father Amaro, becomes pregnant by him, and ultimately dies following the delivery when her child is taken from her.
- João Eduardo - A clerk at a notary's office, he is the fiancé of Amélia, hates the clergy, and only goes to the church to impress Amélia and her mother. When he discovers that Amélia and Amaro are flirting, he publishes a letter in a newspaper, A Voz do Distrito (The District's Voice), revealing their involvement as well as the other sins of the clergy. When the people of Leiria find out that João Eduardo was the one who wrote the letter, he loses his job, is excommunicated, and Amélia breaks off the wedding under Amaro's instruction.
- Joanneira - She is a fat, tall woman. The mother of Amélia, after becoming widowed, she started being visited by a lot of members of the clergy and became the lover of Canon Dias who frequently dines there and gives her money towards housekeeping.
- Canon Dias - He was Father Amaro's religious teacher during the seminary, is the lover of Joanneira, and also the owner of a large number of rented properties.
- Abbot Ferrão - The only likable priest in the whole story, who represents a new form of Christian love and whose voice is said to be synonymous with that of Eça. He comforts Amélia while she is pregnant and opens the way to her redemption, although Amaro's power over her proves to be too great. He is fond of hunting.
- Doctor Gouveia - The family doctor, a liberal.
- Dionisia - A procuress and midwife who helps Father Amaro arrange the affair.
- Father Natário - A dogmatic priest who finds out that João Eduardo is responsible for the infamous article. He is rumored to have had an affair with his two nieces.
- Father Brito - A priest who is removed to a distant mountain parish after the article makes his affair with a noble lady known.
- Uncle Esguelhas - The church bell-ringer. In his house, Father Amaro and Amélia can secretly meet under the guise of teaching his invalid daughter, Totó, to read.
- Doctor Godinho - A prominent liberal in Leiria.
Translations
- DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
J. SlauerhoffJ. SlauerhoffJan Jacob Slauerhoff, who published as J. Slauerhoff, was a Dutch poet and novelist. He is considered one of the most important Dutch language writers.-Youth:...
translated the work into DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
in 1932 under the title De misdaad van pater Amaro. - An English translation by Nan Flanagan appeared in 1962 under the title The Sin of Father Amaro. The novel has also been translated as The Crime of Father Amaro, published in the UK in 2003 by Dedalus BooksDedalus BooksDedalus Books is a British publishing company specialising in European literature. As stated on their website, Dedalus specialises in "its own distinctive genre, which we term distorted reality, where the bizarre, the unusual and the grotesque and the surreal meld in a kind of intellectual fiction...
in a new version by Margaret Jull CostaMargaret Jull CostaMargaret Jull Costa is a translator of Portuguese and Spanish fiction and poetry, including the works of Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, Eça de Queiroz, Fernando Pessoa, Javier Marías and José Régio.-Works and awards:...
.
Film and TV adaptations
In 2002, Carlos CarreraCarlos Carrera
Carlos Carrera is a Mexican film director and screenwriter. He directed El crimen del Padre Amaro , which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film....
directed a Spanish-language version of O Crime do Padre Amaro (El crimen del padre Amaro
El crimen del Padre Amaro
El crimen del padre Amaro is a 2002 film directed by Carlos Carrera. It is loosely based on the novel O Crime do Padre Amaro by 19th-century Portuguese writer José Maria de Eça de Queiroz....
) in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It starred Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
as Father Amaro and was greeted with public outrage in Mexico, where Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
groups called for it to be banned. In 2002, it was one of the Best Foreign Language Film Nominees at the 75th Academy Awards
75th Academy Awards
The 75th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2002, were held on March 23, 2003, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It was produced by Gil Cates and hosted for the second time by Steve Martin....
. The film was criticized in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
as insufficiently faithful to the novel. It was said that Mexico in 2002 has little or nothing to do with the 19th century context in the novel; in addition, Amaro's motivation is different. In the novel his education steers him into the priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
hood, whereas in the film he chooses to follow this path himself and has some anticlerical views. Finally, Eça's Amélia is older (aged 23) than her film equivalent, although the actress who played the part (Ana Claudia Talancón
Ana Claudia Talancón
Ana Claudia Talancón is a Mexican actress and model. She first started acting in her home town, Cancún, Quintana Roo.- Early life :...
) turned 22 in the year the film was released.
In 2005, Carlos Coelho da Silva directed a movie O Crime do Padre Amaro in Portugal. This was a production sponsored by SIC
SIC (Portugal)
SIC - Sociedade Independente de Comunicação is a Portuguese television network and media company, which runs several television channels. Their flagship channel is the eponymous SIC, the third terrestrial television station in Portugal, launched on October 6, 1992...
television channel. Padre Amaro (Jorge Corrula
Jorge Corrula
Jorge Corrula is an Portuguese actor and fashion model. He got his first major role in the hit teen series Morangos com Açúcar...
) and Amélia (Soraia Chaves
Soraia Chaves
Soraia Chaves is a Portuguese actress and model. She became renowned by her role named "Amélia" in the film O Crime do Padre Amaro and her role named "Maria" in her following film Call Girl.-External links:...
) are the main characters, and sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
and nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
are main ingredients. According to the IMDB, it is (as of January 2006) the most successful Portuguese movie in Portuguese box office history.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487887/trivia