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This Sorrow That Lifts Me Up
Florbela Espanca (1894–1930) is one of Portugal's most celebrated poets. This bilingual anthology allows English-speaking readers to see why she deserves to be more widely known. Her poetry speaks passionately of longing, love and sexual liberation against the backdrop of the interwar années folles. After her untimely demise in 1930, Espanca quickly became the stuff of legend, thanks to the captivating ombination of a tumultuous life-story and a string of signature sonnets that alternate between feelings of crushing failure and proclamations of lust for life.
- GenresPoetry
180 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2022
7 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Florbela Espanca
129 books259 followersFlorbela Espanca (birth name Flor Bela de Alma da Conceição), a poet precursor of the feminist movement in Portugal, she had a tumultuous and eventful life that shaped her erotic and feminine writings.
She was baptized as the child of an "unknown" father. After the death of her mother in 1908, Florbela was taken into the care of Maria Espanca and João Maria Espanca, for whom her mother had worked as a maid. João Maria Espanca, who always provided for Florbela (she referred to him in a poem as "dear Daddy of my soul"), officially claimed his paternity in 1949, 19 years after Florbela's death.
Florbela's earliest known poem, A Vida e a Morte (Life and Death), was written in 1903. Her first marriage, to Alberto Moutinho, was celebrated on her 19th birthday. After graduating with a literature degree in 1917, she became the first woman to enroll at the law school at the University of Lisbon.
Between 1915-1917 she collected all her poems and wrote "O livro D'ele" (His book) that she dedicated to his brother.
She had a miscarriage in 1919, the same year that Livro de Mágoas (The Book of Sorrows) was published. Around this time, Florbela began to show the first serious symptoms of Neurosis. In 1921 she divorced her first husband, which exposed her to significant social prejudice. She married António Guimarães in 1922.
The work Livro de Soror Saudade (Sister Saudade's Book) was published in 1923. Florbela had a second miscarriage, after which her husband divorced her. In 1925 she married Mário Lage (a doctor that treated her for a long time). Her brother Apeles Espanca died in an airplane crash (some might say he committed suicide, due to her fiancées death), which deeply affected her and inspired the writing of As Máscaras do Destino (The Masks of Destiny).
In October and November of 1930, Florbela twice attempted suicide, shortly before the publication of her last book Charneca em Flor (Heath in Bloom). Having been diagnosed with a pulmonary edema, Florbela died on December 8, 1930, on her 36th birthday. Her precarious health and complex mental condition make the actual cause of death a question to this day. Charneca em Flor was published in January 1930. After her death in 1931 «Reliquiare», name given by the italian professor Guido Battelli, was published with the poems she wrote on a further version of "Charneca em Flor».
She was baptized as the child of an "unknown" father. After the death of her mother in 1908, Florbela was taken into the care of Maria Espanca and João Maria Espanca, for whom her mother had worked as a maid. João Maria Espanca, who always provided for Florbela (she referred to him in a poem as "dear Daddy of my soul"), officially claimed his paternity in 1949, 19 years after Florbela's death.
Florbela's earliest known poem, A Vida e a Morte (Life and Death), was written in 1903. Her first marriage, to Alberto Moutinho, was celebrated on her 19th birthday. After graduating with a literature degree in 1917, she became the first woman to enroll at the law school at the University of Lisbon.
Between 1915-1917 she collected all her poems and wrote "O livro D'ele" (His book) that she dedicated to his brother.
She had a miscarriage in 1919, the same year that Livro de Mágoas (The Book of Sorrows) was published. Around this time, Florbela began to show the first serious symptoms of Neurosis. In 1921 she divorced her first husband, which exposed her to significant social prejudice. She married António Guimarães in 1922.
The work Livro de Soror Saudade (Sister Saudade's Book) was published in 1923. Florbela had a second miscarriage, after which her husband divorced her. In 1925 she married Mário Lage (a doctor that treated her for a long time). Her brother Apeles Espanca died in an airplane crash (some might say he committed suicide, due to her fiancées death), which deeply affected her and inspired the writing of As Máscaras do Destino (The Masks of Destiny).
In October and November of 1930, Florbela twice attempted suicide, shortly before the publication of her last book Charneca em Flor (Heath in Bloom). Having been diagnosed with a pulmonary edema, Florbela died on December 8, 1930, on her 36th birthday. Her precarious health and complex mental condition make the actual cause of death a question to this day. Charneca em Flor was published in January 1930. After her death in 1931 «Reliquiare», name given by the italian professor Guido Battelli, was published with the poems she wrote on a further version of "Charneca em Flor».
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 12, 2023
Una piacevole scoperta
June 27, 2025
Perfection 🤌🤌🤌🤌
July 19, 2024
Florbela Espanca's This Sorrow That Lifts Me Up is a mesmerizing collection of poetry that delves deep into the intricacies of human emotions, love, longing, and sorrow. Known for her profound and expressive style, Espanca’s work is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the raw essence of the human experience.
Espanca's poetry is rich in imagery and emotion, drawing readers into a world where every feeling is magnified and every moment is charged with significance. Her command of language and ability to weave intricate tapestries of words make each poem a unique exploration of the soul’s depths. The themes of love, loss, and existential yearning are prevalent throughout the collection, reflecting the poet's own tumultuous life and the intense emotional landscape she navigated.
However, while the collection is undeniably beautiful, it suffers slightly from the inherent challenges of translation. Poetry, more than any other literary form, relies heavily on the nuances and subtleties of its original language. The translator has done an admirable job in capturing the essence of Espanca’s work, but some of the original beauty and rhythmic quality of the Portuguese text inevitably gets lost in translation. Certain poems feel slightly diminished, as the delicate balance of sound and meaning that Espanca mastered in her native language doesn’t always carry over perfectly to English.
Despite this, This Sorrow That Lifts Me Up remains a powerful and evocative collection. The emotional intensity and lyrical beauty of Espanca's poetry shine through, offering readers a glimpse into the soul of one of Portugal’s most beloved poets. The translator's effort to preserve the integrity and spirit of the original work is commendable, even if some of the finer points are lost along the way.
Espanca's poetry is rich in imagery and emotion, drawing readers into a world where every feeling is magnified and every moment is charged with significance. Her command of language and ability to weave intricate tapestries of words make each poem a unique exploration of the soul’s depths. The themes of love, loss, and existential yearning are prevalent throughout the collection, reflecting the poet's own tumultuous life and the intense emotional landscape she navigated.
However, while the collection is undeniably beautiful, it suffers slightly from the inherent challenges of translation. Poetry, more than any other literary form, relies heavily on the nuances and subtleties of its original language. The translator has done an admirable job in capturing the essence of Espanca’s work, but some of the original beauty and rhythmic quality of the Portuguese text inevitably gets lost in translation. Certain poems feel slightly diminished, as the delicate balance of sound and meaning that Espanca mastered in her native language doesn’t always carry over perfectly to English.
Despite this, This Sorrow That Lifts Me Up remains a powerful and evocative collection. The emotional intensity and lyrical beauty of Espanca's poetry shine through, offering readers a glimpse into the soul of one of Portugal’s most beloved poets. The translator's effort to preserve the integrity and spirit of the original work is commendable, even if some of the finer points are lost along the way.
August 17, 2023
Portuguese poet Florbela Espanca (1894-1930), in her life and work, reminds me quite a bit of Edna St. Vincent Millay. The disadvantaged background giving rise to huge literary ambitions. The New Woman of early 20th century. Loving the sonnet form for its combination of control and ecstasy. The sustained aesthetics of late Romanticism and early Modernism. Her frequent use of exclamations is off-putting to my ear, but the deployment of ellipses gives her sonnets a rare quality of inarticulateness before the ineffable.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews