As a young man Fernando Pessoa wrote 'be plural like the universe'. Staying true to this, he went on to invent over 100 fictional alter-egos, which he called heteronyms.

This philosophical biography navigates Pessoa's early days in Lisbon and South Africa, reveals a philosopher-poet and pioneer of Portuguese modernism, and delves into the birth of Pessoa's heteronymic universe. Bartholomew Ryan describes Pessoa's writings on evolving radical politics, his ventures into esoteric realms, and his expertise in astrology.

The book unravels Pessoa's real and imaginary relationships, and explores his unfinished prose masterpiece, The Book of Disquiet. Pessoa's revolutionary concepts of identity and self-multiplicity have become more widely accessible and relatable today due to their increasing occurrence in modern society. This is a compelling, timely exploration of Pessoa's profound, innovative ideas.

'More than presenting a concise life story of Portugal's most fascinating writer of recent centuries, Bartholomew Ryan draws illuminating connections between the self-described 'poet animated by philosophy' and thinkers as diverse as Lenin, Kierkegaard, Gandhi, Nietzsche, Yeats, Eliot, Heidegger, Magris, Joyce and Clarice Lispector. It's a joyous ride through a wild world of ideas, literary experiments and multiple selves.' -Richard Zenith, author of Pessoa: An Experimental Life