Writer Eldon Dantas Canário dies at 86

Eldon Dantas Canário, a prominent Brazilian writer, lawyer, and historian, has died in Salvador, Bahia, at the age of 86. He passed away on Wednesday, August 26, following a week of hospitalization due to cardiac complications.

Canário was widely recognized as a vital guardian of the memory of the ‘second Canudos’—the settlement that rose following the original Canudos War. While much historical research has focused on the initial conflict, Canário dedicated much of his work to documenting the daily life and history of the subsequent community. His bibliography includes nine books, five of which specifically address the history of Canudos, such as ‘Canudos’ (1967) and ‘Memória de Canudos’ (1984).

A member of the Academia de Letras e Artes de Salvador since 2015, his death has been met with significant mourning from the academic, artistic, and research communities in Bahia. His funeral and cremation services were held on Thursday, August 27, at the Jardim da Saudade Cemetery in Salvador.