Antero Tarquínio de Quental was born on 18 April 1842 in Ponta Delgada in the islands of Azores. He was a son of Fernando de Quental, a former soldier, and his wife Ana Guilhermina da Maia. He studied at the University of Coimbra and soon became a leader of his fellow students. He protested against the shape of Portuguese poetry of the time. 