The Book of Disquietude

"There is a distinguished mind at work beneath the totally acceptable dullness of clerking. The mind is that of Pessoa. We must be given the chance to learn more about him."-Anthony Burgess, "Observer" Seated at his desk in the Lisbon's Rua dos Douradores, Bernardo Soares, an assistant book-keeper, writes his diary-a self-deprecating reflection on the sheer distance between the loftiness of his feelings and the humdrum reality of his everyday life. "This is a prize-winning translation of a classic of existential literature-a book acknowledged by the critics as "the most beautiful diary of the century." Fernando Pessoa grew up in Durban, South Africa, where his stepfather was Portuguese consul. He returned to Lisbon in 1905 and worked as a clerk until his death in 1935.