Literature · Philosophy · 1888–1935
Born: 13 June 1888 · Died: 30 November 1935 · Age: 47
Portuguese poet who wrote under dozens of invented personas called heteronyms, author of The Book of Disquiet
Did you know?He created more than seventy distinct literary alter egos, each with their own unique biography, appearance, and specific writing style.
Fernando Pessoa was many poets in one. He grew up partly in Durban, South Africa, and wrote early poems in English. Back in Lisbon he worked as a commercial translator. He invented dozens of literary personas, called heteronyms, each with its own style and biography. Alberto Caeiro, Ricardo Reis and Álvaro de Campos are the best known. Only one book in Portuguese, Mensagem, appeared in his lifetime. After his death, a trunk with over 25,000 pages was found. It contained The Book of Disquiet.
Fernando António Nogueira de Seabra Pessoa (Portuguese:; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, and publisher. He has been described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese literature.
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Profile
Portuguese poet, 1888–1935
Fernando Pessoa was born in Lisbon on 13 June 1888.
He wrote under many heteronyms.
He published Mensagem in 1934.
He died in Lisbon on 30 November 1935, aged 47.
Career highlights
Did you know?His trunk of papers held more than 25,000 items.
Questions people ask
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