1845-1900 PT, Póvoa de Varzim
José Maria de Eça de Queiroz ([ʒuˈzɛ mɐˈɾiɐ dɨ ˈɛsɐ dɨ kejˈɾɔʃ]; 25 November 1845 – 16 August 1900) is generally considered to be the greatest Portuguese writer in the realist style. Zola considered him to be far greater than Flaubert. The London Observer critics rank him with Dickens, Balzac and Tolstoy. Eça never officially rejected Catholicism, and in many of his private letters he even invokes Jesus and uses expressions typical of Catholics, but was very critical of the Catholic Church of his time, and of Christianity in general (also Protestant churches) as is evident in some of his novels.