# Le tombeau de Mallarmé

> creative work by Erthos Albino de Souza

**Wikidata**: [Q132199994](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q132199994)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/le-tombeau-de-mallarme

## Summary
**Le tombeau de Mallarmé** is a work of digital poetry created by Erthos Albino de Souza and published in 1972. It is recognized as both a creative work and a software application, written using the Fortran and PL/I programming languages.

## Key Facts
- **Author:** Erthos Albino de Souza
- **Publication Date:** 1972
- **Genre:** Digital poetry
- **Instance of:** Creative work, Application (Software)
- **Programming Languages:** Fortran (invented 1957) and PL/I (invented 1964)
- **Language of Work:** Portuguese
- **Distribution Format:** Printed matter
- **ELMCIP ID:** 7803

## FAQs
### Q: What type of work is Le tombeau de Mallarmé?
A: It is a piece of digital poetry from 1972 that is classified simultaneously as a creative literary work and a software application.

### Q: Who is the author of Le tombeau de Mallarmé?
A: The work was created by Erthos Albino de Souza.

### Q: What technology was used to create Le tombeau de Mallarmé?
A: The work was created using the programming languages Fortran and PL/I.

### Q: How was the work distributed?
A: Despite being a software application, the distribution format is listed as printed matter.

## Why It Matters
**Le tombeau de Mallarmé** is a significant artifact in the history of electronic literature and computational creativity. Created in 1972, it represents an early convergence of computer science and poetry, demonstrating how programming languages originally designed for engineering and scientific computing—such as Fortran and PL/I—could be repurposed for artistic expression.

The work serves as an early example of "code as poetry" or poetry generated via code, bridging the gap between the algorithmic logic of software and the aesthetic qualities of literature. By classifying the entity as both an "application" and a "creative work," it highlights the evolving definition of authorship in the digital age, where the writer is also a programmer. Its existence in 1972 places it at the forefront of the digital poetry movement, predating the widespread adoption of personal computers and the internet. The use of Portuguese as the language of the work also points to the global, non-Anglo-centric origins of computational art.

## Notable For
- **Early Digital Poetry:** Created in 1972, making it an early historical example of the genre.
- **Dual Classification:** Uniquely defined as both a software application and a creative literary work.
- **Specific Tech Stack:** Utilized distinct programming languages (Fortran and PL/I) rather than later, more literary-specific tools.
- **Format Contrast:** Exists as a software application but was distributed via printed matter.

## Body

### Overview and Classification
**Le tombeau de Mallarmé** is a creative work authored by the Brazilian writer and programmer Erthos Albino de Souza. In the context of knowledge bases and digital archives, it holds a dual classification as both a piece of digital poetry and an application (software program). The work is recorded in the Electronic Literature as a Model of Creativity and Innovation in Practice (ELMCIP) knowledge base under the ID 7803.

### Technical Specifications
The creation of the work involved high-level programming languages typically associated with scientific and engineering tasks during the mainframe era.
*   **Programming Language:** The work was written using **Fortran** (a general-purpose language dating back to 1957) and **PL/I** (a procedural language dating back to 1964).
*   **Nature of Work:** The classification as an "application" suggests the work involves executable code or algorithmic generation, distinct from static text created via word processing.

### Publication and Language
*   **Date:** The work was published in **1972**.
*   **Language:** The content of the work is in **Portuguese**.
*   **Medium:** Despite being a software-based entity, the listed distribution format is **printed matter**, suggesting the output of the program or the code itself was physically printed for distribution.