Published after his death, Fernando Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet is the culmination of his work. It's a book with no clear beginning or end to his thoughts. Published nearly fifty years after his death, the book is an uncanny glimpse into the mind of a philosophical old man. Pessoa himself called the book a "factless autobiography," one which he had compiled throughout his lifetime.
Some controversy surrounds The Book of Disquiet. Since the book was published posthumously, its content within various editions is arranged in different orders. Translations also vary a great deal, so which edition one reads really matters. In fact, many of the passages are written -- with Pessoa's consent -- by other, unnamed authors, such as Vicente Guedes and Bernardo Soares, who were Pessoa's contemporaries. Due to the abstract nature of the thoughts contained within the manuscripts, however, it is nearly impossible to distinguish which parts belong to whom. This means the book is at once a story of many people and ultimately just the one.
Pessoa's thoughts race through the pages, sometimes in diary entries and other times in lengthy prose. He talks about himself, the running commentary he delivers to himself in his mind. While reading, one can gather that Pessoa was a man upon whom intelligence weighed heavily. He observed so much about his world that other people didn't notice, and it made him lonely and bitter. In his later years he expresses regret and even guilt for what a waste his youth turned out to be. He even began to disassociate with his memories, saying they felt like they belonged to someone else. Perhaps he wrote the book in the hopes that someone would come along after his death and finally understand him and give credence to his thoughts. Regardless of his reasoning, Pessoa left behind him a manuscript which challenges the minds of many and defies the very title of autobiography.
