Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PESSOA'S MANY PERSONALITIES
'There's no such man known as Fernando Pessoa', swore Alberto Caeiro, who, truth be told, didn't really exist
himself. He was one of more than a dozen heteronyms (identities) adopted by Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), Por-
tugal's greatest 20th-century poet.
Heralded by literary critics as one of the icons of modernism, Pessoa was also among the stranger characters to
wander the streets of Lisbon. He worked as a translator by day (having learned English while living in South
Africa as a young boy), and wrote poetry by night - but not just Pessoa's poetry. He took on numerous personas,
writing in entirely different styles, representing different philosophies, backgrounds and levels of mastery. Of
Pessoa's four primary heteronyms, Alberto Caeiro was regarded as the great master by other heteronyms Alvaro
de Campos and Ricardo Reis. (Fernando Pessoa was the fourth heteronym, but his existence, as alluded to earlier,
was denied by the other three.) Any one style would have earned Pessoa renown as a major poet of his time, but
considered together, the variety places him among the greats of modern literature.
Pessoa for many is inextricably linked to Lisbon. He spent his nights in cafes, writing, drinking and talking un-
til late into the evening, and many of his works are set precisely in Lisbon's old neighbourhoods. Among Pessoa's
phobias: lightning and having his photograph taken. You can see a few of the existing photos of him at the Café
Martinho da Arcada, one of his regular haunts.
Despite his quirks and brilliance, Pessoa published very little in his lifetime, with his great work
Livro do
Desassossego
(
Book of Disquietude
) only appearing in 1982, 50 years after it was written. In fact, the great bulk
of Pessoa's work was discovered after his death: thousands of manuscript pages hidden away inside a wooden
trunk. Scholars are still poring over his elusive works.
