A critical biography of the modernist Portuguese writer.
As a young man Fernando Pessoa aspired to, as he put it, โbe plural like the universe.โ He would fulfill this desire by inventing over one hundred fictional alter-egos which he called heteronyms. Beginning with Pessoaโs early days in Portugal, this philosophical biography explores the life, work, and imaginative universe of this modernist pioneer. Bartholomew Ryan offers a detailed overview of Pessoaโs writings on radical politics, his ventures into esoteric realms, and his expertise in astrology. Along the way, Ryan unravels Pessoaโs real and literary relationships and explores his unfinished prose masterpiece, The Book of Disquiet. This is a compelling, timely exploration of Pessoaโs profound, innovative ideas.