The Book Of Disquiet: The Complete Edition

Description

The Book of Disquiet is the Portuguese modernist master Fernando Pessoa's greatest literary achievement. An "autobiography" or "diary" containing exquisite melancholy observations, aphorisms, and ruminations, this classic work grapples with all the eternal questions. Now, for the first time the texts are presented chronologically, in a complete English edition by master translator Margaret Jull Costa.Most of the texts in The Book of Disquiet are written under the semi-heteronym Bernardo Soares, an assistant bookkeeper. This existential masterpiece was first published in Portuguese in 1982, forty-seven years after Pessoa's death. A monumental literary event, this exciting, new, complete edition spans Fernando Pessoa's entire writing life.

Reviews

"Pessoa's rapid prose, snatched in flight and restlessly suggestive, remains haunting, often startling. There is nobody like him." -- W. S. Merwin - The New Yorker "Pessoa's rapid prose, snatched in flight and restlessly suggestive, remains haunting, often startling. There is nobody like him." -- W. S. Merwin "Extraordinary-a haunting mosaic of dreams, autobiographical vignettes, shards of literary theory and criticisms and maxims." -- George Steiner "Pessoa's work The Book of Disquiet is one of life's great miracles. Pessoa invented numerous alter egos. Arguably, the four greatest poets in the Portuguese language were all Pessoa using different names." -- NPR "Readers with a particular interest in modernism will find this work indispensable." -- Publishers Weekly

Author description

(1888-1935), the Portuguese writer, literary critic, translator, and publisher, is one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. He wrote not only under his own name but under many others (including Bernardo Soares and Ricardo Reis). is a Professor at the Universidad de los Andes and holds the Camoes Institute Chair of Portuguese Studies in Colombia. Margaret Jull Costa is the award-winning translator of works by Eca de Quieros, Javier Marias, and Jose Saramago.