At the end of the 19th century, Afonso Celso Júnior, still in the Empire, and Medeiros e Albuquerque, already in the Republic, spoke out in favor of creating a national literary academy, along the lines of the French Academy. The social and cultural success of the Revista Brasileira, by José Veríssimo, would give cohesion to a group of writers and, thus, the possibility of the idea.

Lúcio de Mendonça then took the initiative to propose an Academy of Letters, under the aegis of the State, which, at the last minute, would excuse itself from such an adventure of scholars. As an independent private institution, the Academia Brasileira de Letras was constituted.

The first news concerning the foundation of ABL was published on November 10, 1896, by Gazeta de Notícias, and, on the following day, by Jornal do Commercio. The preparatory sessions would begin: in the first, at three in the afternoon of December 15, in the editorial room of Revista Brasileira, at Travessa do Ouvidor, nº 31, Machado de Assis was immediately acclaimed president.

On the 28th of January of the following year, the seventh and final preparatory session would take place, to which the following attended, establishing the Academy: Araripe Júnior, Artur Azevedo, Graça Aranha, Guimarães Passos, Inglês de Sousa, Joaquim Nabuco, José Veríssimo, Lúcio de Mendonça , Machado de Assis, Medeiros and Albuquerque, Olavo Bilac, Pedro Rabelo, Rodrigo Otávio, Silva Ramos, Teixeira de Melo, Viscount of Taunay. Also Coelho Neto, Filinto de Almeida, José do Patrocínio, Luís Murat and Valentim Magalhães, also present at the previous sessions, and also Afonso Celso Júnior, Alberto de Oliveira, Alcindo Guanabara, Carlos de Laet, Garcia Redondo, Pereira da Silva, Rui Barbosa , Sílvio Romero and Urbano Duarte, who accepted the invitation and the honor.

There were thirty members. There was a need to complete forty, as in the French Academy. Those present did so, electing the following ten: Aluísio Azevedo, Barão de Loreto, Clóvis Beviláqua, Domício da Gama, Eduardo Prado, Luís Guimarães Júnior, Magalhães de Azeredo, Oliveira Lima, Raimundo Correia and Salvador de Mendonça. The Statutes were signed by Machado de Assis, president; Joaquim Nabuco, secretary general; Rodrigo Otávio, 1st secretary; Silva Ramos, 2nd Secretary; and Inglês de Sousa, treasurer.

On July 20, 1897, in a room at the Pedagogium Museum, on Rua do Passeio, the inaugural session took place, with the presence of sixteen academics. President Machado de Assis made a preliminary address. Rodrigo Otávio, 1st secretary, read the historical memory of the preparatory acts, and the secretary general, Joaquim Nabuco, gave the inaugural speech.

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Brazilian Academy of Letters

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