100 Heroes: Fernando Pessoa
The gay man who became one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese language.
Fernando Pessoa was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher.
He is described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese language.
His best-known work is Book of Disquiet.
Pessoa was a prolific writer - not only under his own name, he created over 75 pseudonyms. Writing under a pseudonym enabled Pessoa to explore unpopular or extreme views.
Although Pessoa’s sexuality wasn’t officially documented and it wasn’t something that he publicly discussed, it’s widely understood that he was a gay man.
Much of his sexual energy was poured into his writing – including reflections on Oscar Wilde and a major work focused on Antinous.
