Alencar, José de

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José de Alencar (älāNngkâr´), 1829–77, Brazilian jurist and author. Alencar was one of the founders of modern Brazilian literature. His historical novels (O Guarani, 1857; Iracema, 1865, tr. 1886) offer idealized portraits of Brazil's native cultures. In his later work (Senhora, 1875; O Sertanejo, 1875) he examined middle-class and regional life.