Luiz Vaz de Camoens

Considered by some as Portugal's greatest poet, Luis Vaz de Camões (1524-1580), wrote dozens of sonnets and other poems, but is best remembered for his Lusiadas, an epic of national identity. Amorous, quarrelsome and unsuccessful in any wordly sense, Camões lost an eye during his military service in Ceuta, Morocco; served in India and was deported from China, struggling back in 1570 to Lisbon, infirm and penniless. But throughout misfortune he worked on the manuscript that was to bring a meagre royal pension and the unreserved love of his countryman. Glorifying the events in Vasco da Gama's voyages and Portugal's history, Os Lusíadas provided a vigorous and realistic narrative by someone who knew the countries at first hand.

Source: http://www.poetry-portal.com/poets15.html