A critical biography of the modernist Portuguese writer.

As a young man Fernando Pessoa aspired to, as he put it, "be plural like the universe." He would fulfill this desire by inventing over one hundred fictional alter-egos which he called heteronyms. Beginning with Pessoa's 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 Pessoa's writings on radical politics, his ventures into esoteric realms, and his expertise in astrology. Along the way, Ryan unravels Pessoa's real and literary relationships and explores his unfinished prose masterpiece,The Book of Disquiet. This is a compelling, timely exploration of Pessoa's profound, innovative ideas.