Ramalho Ortigão

José Duarte Ramalho Ortigão (1836 –1915) studied law at Coimbra University, but failed to complete his degree. He then became a teacher of French in a school run by his father, and among his pupils was Eça de Queiroz. From 1862 on, he worked as a journalist and literary critic, contributing to various literary magazines, and in 1870, he and Eça decided to write a spoof romantic novel, purportedly based on a genuine murder case, and which appeared in instalments in the Lisbon daily newspaper Diário de Notícias. The serial proved extremely popular and was subsequently published in book form. Ramalho Ortigão and Eça continued to collaborate on a satirical journal called As Farpas, and Ramalho Ortigão continued to work on this alone when Eça began his diplomatic career.

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