About Luís Vaz de Camões Luís Vaz de Camões (Portuguese pronunciation: luˈiʃ vaʃ dɨ kaˈmõĩʃ; sometimes rendered in English as Camoens) (c. 1524–June 10, 1580) is considered Portugal's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Homer, Virgil, and Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry (in Portuguese and in Spanish) and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas. His philosophical work The Parnasum of Luís Vaz was lost, arguably stolen by enemies with part of Os Lusíadas when Camões was visiting Mozambique.