Francisco Cavalcanti Pontes de Miranda

Pontes de Miranda was a Brazilian lawyer, jurist, philosopher, mathematician, sociologist, magistrate, diplomat and writer. He was born in Maceió, Alagoas, in 1892, and died in Rio de Janeiro, in 1979. He studied law at the Faculty of Recife, where he graduated in 1911, at the age of 19. He published his first book, A Moral do Futuro, at the age of 20, with a preface by José Veríssimo. He wrote extensively on various fields of knowledge, such as sociology, psychology, politics, poetry, philosophy and, above all, law. He wrote his books in Portuguese, German, French, Spanish and Italian. He was a professor at the National University, the University of Recife and other institutions; a lecturer, in Brazil and abroad; a member of several cultural organizations; and a diplomat, serving as ambassador to Colombia. He was also a practicing lawyer and a judge of the Court of Justice of the Federal District until 1939, when he was transferred to the diplomatic career. His most important work is the famous Tratado de Direito Privado, in 60 volumes, completed in 1970. He also wrote Tratado das Ações, Sistema de Ciência Positiva do Direito, and many other books and articles. He was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 1979, occupying the Chair 7. He was awarded several prizes and honors for his contributions to science and culture. He was a man of multiple interests and talents, a realist, a humanist, a democrat, and a visionary.