Fernando Pessoa, a giant of European literature, was shaped by his anglophone education in Durban, South Africa. Pessoa's encounter with Shakespeare during his time in Durban between 1896 and 1905 opened his world and influenced his philosophy of depersonalisation and creation of distinct authorial selves. He attended St Joseph's on West Street, run by Irish Catholic nuns, and later Durban Boys High in 1899 for an imperial education in English. Pessoa won the prestigious Queen Victoria Prize for an entrance exam essay for the University of Good Hope in 1903.
Pessoa's education in Durban had a lasting impact on his writing style and philosophy. He found in Shakespeare a mirror for his own philosophy and created distinct literary alter-egos with their own lives and biographies. Pessoa's heteronyms, such as Alvaro de Campos and Bernardo Soares, allowed him to explore and grapple with how beliefs, superstitions, and social standing shape individual realities and world views. His writing continues to beguile readers with its unique frequency and texture, influenced by his early instruction in English.
Pessoa's life was marked by traumatic dislocation and upheaval, including the death of his father and younger brother in infancy. His sensitive nature was impressed by the impermanence of life, and his encounter with different codes and languages in Durban, including Zulu and English, influenced his writing. Pessoa's literary idol, Shakespeare, and other English classics, such as Milton, Byron, Shelley, and Keats, affected his creative sensibility and shaped his writing style.
Richard Zenith, author of a 1,055-page biography of Pessoa, visited South Africa for a local launch of his celebrated work. Zenith, a naturalised Portuguese citizen, has dedicated much of his life's work to researching, writing, and translating Pessoa. His biography was a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and Autobiography, and his translation of Pessoa's Book of Disquiet clocks in at about 500 pages.
Pessoa's Book of Disquiet, an existential musing on loneliness and alienation, was first published in Portugal in 1982, 47 years after his death in 1935. The book, written by Bernardo Soares, has no plot and is a deconstructed novel that explores the dull, everyday thud of routine. Pessoa's heteronyms allowed him to embody a multitude of voices and views, and his writing continues to influence readers worldwide.
Pessoa's legacy extends beyond his literary works, with translations of his work in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and English. His ideas and writing remain prescient in the 21st century, offering a balm for troubled times. Pessoa's plurality of selves and exploration of individual realities and world views continue to beguile readers and inspire new generations of writers.
Cláudia Pazos Alonso noted that Pessoa is "the multifaceted giant of European modernism" and described Zenith's biography as a "tour de force" that sets out Pessoa's life in its fullest context. Pessoa's work continues to be celebrated for its unique frequency and texture, influenced by his early instruction in English and his education in Durban.
Key points
- Pessoa's anglophone education in Durban shaped his writing style and philosophy.
- Pessoa's heteronyms allowed him to explore and grapple with individual realities and world views.
- Pessoa's legacy extends beyond his literary works, with translations of his work in multiple languages.
