Yes, a 1,000-page biography may look daunting, but I found myself unable to put down Pessoa by Richard Zenith, which examines the short life of the Portuguese poet, critic, translator and publisher Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935). All the more so because Zenith weaves political, cultural, and personal histories, deftly providing context to all aspects of the multi-talented and, intriguingly, multi-personaed Pessoa. It is no wonder this work was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Throughout his life, Pessoa witnessed upheavals and critical developments, including the rise of a young lawyer Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa, the dissolution of the Portuguese monarchy, the First World War, and the rise of fascism in Europe. This might have been interesting enough, but Pessoa was incredibly ambitious and prolific, writing under his own name and dozens of others, including Alberto Caerio, Álvaro de Campos, and Ricardo Reis.
Rather than simply pseudonyms, these were “heteronyms,” as Pessoa called them, with their own (often fully developed) backstories, personalities, political beliefs, and writing styles, writing in English, French, and Portuguese. Pessoa’s playfulness and skill come through as Zenith explores how the heteronyms would engage with each other, reviewing the poetry of one another or having lively public debates via letters to newspapers.
While he was known during his time among the literati in Portugal, Pessoa was not lauded as one of Portugal’s greats until after his death when a trunk containing 25,000 unpublished papers were found. Now, thanks in part to this book, he is getting the attention he deserves in the English-speaking world.
— Heather Bourbeau’s award-winning fiction and poetry have appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review, The Irish Times, and The Kenyon Review. She has worked with various UN agencies, including the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia and UNICEF Somalia. Her most recent poetry collection, Monarch, examines overlooked histories from the US West.
You can read Heather Bourbeau’s story "Homecoming" in Issue 305 (Autumn 2025). Order the issue now:
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