Lisbon, the city of Fernando Pessoa and Saint Anthony
Rossio Railway Station Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio
Lisbon, the city of Fernando Pessoa and Saint Anthony
Fernando Martins de Bulhões was born in Lisbon and died on 13 June 1231 in Padua. Fernando Martins de Bulhões is popular worldwide as Saint Anthony of Padua. In Lisbon, his hometown, he is, unquestionably and irrefutably, António de Lisboa.
Pessoa's Statue
Also, on 13 June but in 1888, Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa was born in Lisbon. He is simply known as Fernando Pessoa, although in his life he had many literary names. In Pessoa, there is a clear reference to Saint Anthony: Fernando and Antonio. He is the mark of his future Catholic dedication and an alleged genealogical descend on the Saint.
Lisbon must share Saint Anthony with other cities, while Fernando Pessoa, undoubtedly, belongs to Lisbon, despite having spent his childhood and his studies in Durban in South Africa.
Lisbon is the city of Pessoa par excellence. Everywhere, there are memories, statues, emblems, writings, to evoke his presence until he died in 1935.
Why Pessoa represents Lisbon like no one else?
Because he is fitful, cultured, poet, traditionalist, progressive, noble, conqueror, like his city.
He has multiple personalities, all valid and capable of expressing his art. He signs his books and poems with one hundred and thirty-six (1) different heteronyms, each of which has a splendid literary character.
Even his love for Lisbon has a plurality of affections, it is a “happy and sad city”. The climax of poetry for Lisbon is Lisbon Revisited. (2) (3)
Pessoa narrates the joy of seeing his city again after his horrifying departure and painful stay in Durban: “City of my horrifyingly lost childhood…”. He shows his fitful - “I sleep fitfully and live in the fitful dream-state” (2) –repeating “came back”. With his intelligence and doubtful fitful, he declares that he feels “foreigner”everywhere, but having to live in one home, his “accursed castle”, it can only be Lisbon “Happy and sad city”.
The thought of the “castle” Lisbon proclaims it by writing the erudite book Lisbon, What the tourist must see (4). It is the most delightful, accurate, detailed travel guide, mixed with love, passion, sadness and joy for his city.
The artist exposes the evocative places of the Portuguese capital.
https://www.sololibri.net/Fernando-Pessoa-vita-eteronimi-opere.html
https://trevinoyume.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/lisbon-revisited-1926/
Fernando Pessoa, Lisboa, Quello che il turista deve vedere, Edizioni Biblioteca del Vascello, 1993, ristampa del 1997 translated http://lisbon.pessoa.free.fr/Pessoa-Lisbon.pdf
José Hermano Saraiva, Storia del Portogallo, Bruno Mondadori, 2004 translated by author
bibliography:
Richard Zenith, Pessoa An Experimental Life, Penguin Books Limited https://www.google.it/books/edition/Pessoa/wn8WEAAAQBAJ?hl=it&gbpv=1&dq=Fernando+Pessoa+Saint+Antonio&pg=PT25&printsec=frontcover
Autore Roberto Matteucci
Click Here for Italian version
Credit photo: popcinema.org