Antiga Shantarin, Lda Message.

by Fernando; Griffin Jonathan (trans) Pessoa, Martin Earl (translator)

Message ABISBOOK Antiga Shantarin, Lda.

Paperback

Reviews

[Harrison Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough book to review. I purchased this bilingual edition in Portugal while on vacation there as I was familiar with the poet (Fernando Pessoa). The edition I read was edited by Antonio Apolinario Lourenco, a professor at the University of Coimbra. The work is a compilation of a series of poems by Pessoa written over several years that collectively constitute his unified piece, referred to as "one of the greatest poems in the whole of Portuguese literature." Somewhat of a metaphysical book, Pessoa traces the history of Portugal and its former greatness in chronological order. However, this compilation not only requires knowledge of Portugal's history and its important figures, most of whom I had no familiarity (such as King Sebastian and King Duarte), but it also requires some understanding of the spirituality underlying the compositions. As a result, I found this book very difficult to read and to understand. While the editor Lourenco includes an extensive introduction and detailed notes, they did not help me much in understanding or otherwise following the work. To its credit, the publisher (Shantarin) has created a beautifully designed book.