Antônio da Silveira Mendonça (February 3, 1930 – November 28, 2023) was a Latin scholar, educator, and translator. He was a tenured professor at several Brazilian universities, specializing in classical literature and teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also contributed to the development of classical studies programs in Brazil.
Early life and education.
Mendonça was born in 1930 in Santa Lúcia, São Paulo, Brazil. Following the death of his father during his adolescence, he considered joining the religious career of the Roman Catholic Church.
At age 12, Mendonça lived with priests from a church in São Carlos, São Paulo, where he began his studies. His academic performance led to him being sent to Italy to study theology. However, he later abandoned this path, returned to Brazil, and pursued a secular liberal arts.
He studied classical languages, focusing on Latin and Ancient Greek. Mendonça graduated with a Letters degree before completing postgraduate studies.
Academic career.
For over four decades, Mendonça was a professor at the University of São Paulo (USP), specializing in Latin and Classical Studies. In the 1980s, he helped establish the Department of Classical Languages at the University of Campinas (Unicamp). At USP, Mendonça taught and advised graduate students, continuing his academic work after his retirement.
Throughout his career, he translated several works from Latin into Portuguese, including "De Pictura" by Leon Battista Alberti, "Naturalis Historia" by Pliny the Elder, and "Bellum Catilinae" by Sallust.
Mendonça taught Portuguese at Colégio Santa Cruz in São Paulo from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Translation work.
Mendonça translated texts from Latin, such as "Bellum Civile" by Julius Caesar and works by Pliny the Elder. He also translated from Greek and Italian into Portuguese.
Personal life.
Outside of academia, Mendonça had interests in music, particularly samba and MPB (Brazilian Pop). He also listened to classical music, Gregorian chants, and French chanson music by Édith Piaf.
Mendonça was also interested in sports and was a fan of football, supporting the Palmeiras football club. He also played tennis.
A polyglot, Mendonça spoke, taught, and read Portuguese, Spanish, Greek, Italian, French, and Latin.
Mendonça died from a cerebrovascular accident on November 28, 2023, at the age of 93. His translations are used in university curricula.