João Franklin da Silveira Távora (January 13, 1842 – August 18, 1888) was a Brazilian novelist, journalist, politician, lawyer and dramatist, famous for his Regionalist romance O Cabeleira, set in 18th-century Pernambuco. He wrote under the pen names Semprônio and Farisvest.
João Franklin da Silveira Távora was born in the city of Baturité, Ceará, to Camilo Henrique da Silveira Távora and Maria de Santana da Silveira. He made his primary studies in Fortaleza. He moved with his parents to Pernambuco in 1854, ingressing at Law course in Recife, graduating in 1863. In 1874, he moves to Rio de Janeiro, writing for journals A Consciência Livre and A Verdade.
