A Little Larger Than the Entire Universe: Selected Poems

Absolutely the best place for anyone to start with Fernando Pessoa's magnificent poetry - the translation (and there are many others available) is flawless. If I was sent to a desert island and could bring only two pieces of literature with me, this one and his "Book of Disquiet" would easily be my choices.

If I had to name my favorite ten writers, Fernando Pessoa would be at least four of them. Not satisfied with making poetry, he made poets as well, each with his own history and style. This book is thus one of the world’s great anthologies, like the Bible, a chorus in different voices and deserves to be read in that way. Here is Alberto Caeiro, the sage, who sees in things only the things themselves and announces, “All it takes to be complete is to exist.” And here is the sad and wise Ricardo Reis who counsels us to “Let’s love with greater calm / Our uncertain life”. These are Fernando Pessoa’s “heteronyms”, but here also is Fernando Pessoa himself, no slouch as a poet. My wife, whose name is Solitude, Keeps me from being glum. Ah, what good it does my heart To have this non-existent home! If you are shopping for a volume of Fernando Pessoa in English, it is useful to know that this book (published by Penguin in 2006) and Fernando Pessoa & Co (published by Grove in 1999), are both translated by Richard Zenith, but contain almost totally different poems. If you love Pessoa, you’ll want them both but, if you can only buy one at a time, this volume seems to me the most essential. Frankly, how people manage to live their lives without these poems is a mystery to me. How did I get by before I read Pessoa? I can’t remember. For Pessoa’s prose -- most of all for selections from the diary of the assistant bookkeeper Bernardo Soares -- read Zenith’s Selected Prose. If you are a fan of Pessoa, it is thrilling to read Jose Saramago’s novel A Year in the Life of Ricardo Reis but, be warned, Saramago’s time-traveling stunt will change the way you read the poems forever.

Extremely highly recommended Portuguese poet, one of the world's greatest of the 20th century hands down IMHO. Known for his "homonyms" or alternate identities (he had four principal ones), he could compose profoundly beautiful verse coming from the entirely different forms of consciousness which he adopted. His poems cover vast vistas of meaning and thought, impossible to sum up briefly. If you are a lover of poetry, you owe it to yourself to familiarize yourself with this stellar heavyweight (who attained littloe renown in his own lifetime but wrote voluminously). I place him in the rarified company of Neruda, Vallejo, Stevens, Mandelstam and other titans of 20th century poetical literature.

Pessoa is stunning. He probably belongs to the heavenly club of writers like Shakespeare & Nabokov. His sheer breadth & immense sensitivity is sufficient to inspire any ardent reader to pick up a pen and attempt writing. This book is a collection of some of his poems (written under 3 homonyms). Not all the poems are spectacular but the collections is sufficiently brilliant for the aesthetic soul. Buy this book for the love of the word & the singular opportunity to be in the presence of such a beautiful soul called Pessoa.

Pessoa is one of my favourite writers. His work is so complex, beautiful and thought provoking. This volume is a comprehensive look at his poetric work, and it's easy to carry around on my travels. Highly recommended for anyone looking to be challenged and excited by poetry.

Anything by Pessoa is pretty good, but this volume is missing one of the great longer poems "by" Alvaro de Campos, called "Tabacaria". Very atmospheric, a long night's journey into day, beginning in contemplation and introspection and ending in semi-exuberant decisiveness and elation. And inexplicably missing from this volume. Why???

Between this and The Book of Disquiet I have become absolutely obsessed with Pessoa. Richard Zenith is the gold standard when it comes to editing and translating Pessoa into English. This is a treasure.

I got to Pessoa because I met a wealthy businessman who I suppose to ask for his successful experiences, instead, we talked Pessoa and his poems. His poems are very philosophical, and his ideas are somehow of the same traits like Susan Sontag's. They both think sensations are more important than reason, because the world and universe itself is for our human being to feel, not to think, and judge. I read those poems in short times, could read them again definitely. Without literature, we cannot be rich.

I discovered Fernando Passoa with this anthology. I am so grateful for penguin anthologies because they allow you to discover the universe of an author or a genre for an affordable price. I discovered two of my favourite poets this way, Passoa being the second. It was breathtaking, I'm so glad I told the kindle edition since I highlighted so much things, but I'm thinking about taking the paperback too. I write some poetry in my native language and this piece has been so inspirational, I discovered someone with ideas similar had mine but a better wording. Thank you Mr Passoa!

Very nice selection of poems.

An inexhaustible well of poetry.

What a voice and striking in clarity and power. A poet's cry from the soul.

I found this sublime. Pessoa has ventured where others fear to tread, or are unconscious of such perception. His brave sensitivity within his explorations are truely worth taking the time to read, even if you don't necessarily understand them at first, or find some of his narrative out of sink / quirky. And perhaps this is part of the appreciation, to take your time with each word, each sentence, pausing to let it permeate ITS meaning rather than YOUR understanding........ I cannot comment on the quality of translation, but the text throughout hangs together consistently, so have an impression Zenith has done it justice (I've previously read 'The Book of Disquiet', so have already had an introduction to Pessoa's work (and can recommend this too). All in all, Pessoa is to be SAVOURED like a vintage wine, for he is truly enriching to imbue.