The Book of Disquiet in Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Mar 04, 2019 Arukiyomi rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books

Less than halfway through his bundle of tedium, Pessoa says

"Let the plotless novel come to an end"

If only …

Instead, Pessoa moans on and on for another half of his eternity.

It wouldn’t be so bad but Pessoa himself undermines his own work by attempting to dismantle such commonly held (and therefore suspect?) beliefs such as truth and opinion. Anyone who takes him seriously would therefore have to dismiss anything he says as worthless. I didn’t need to be forced.

It has been compared to Musil’s epic ...more

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Feb 02, 2023 Monica rated it it was ok

Shelves: 1982, 1001

This was a psychological review of disorders exemplified that I wasn't necessarily expecting.

The author died before publishing this work so others, who, bless their souls, had way more time on their hands and patience then I can imagine, organized and deciphered the writings left behind in a large envelope to come up with this 400+ page monster of musings.

The "Introduction" and "Notes on the Text and Translation" in the version that I read were very helpful. It introduced me to Pessoa's heteron This was a psychological review of disorders exemplified that I wasn't necessarily expecting.

The author died before publishing this work so others, who, bless their souls, had way more time on their hands and patience then I can imagine, organized and deciphered the writings left behind in a large envelope to come up with this 400+ page monster of musings.

The "Introduction" and "Notes on the Text and Translation" in the version that I read were very helpful. It introduced me to Pessoa's heteronyms which are different than pseudonyms in that they weren't just other names that Pessoa was writing under but other characters? personalities? with their own literary styles and ideas. This was my first inclination that mental health may be at the forefront of this reading. At what point does an author writing under a pseudonym/heteronym become concern for dissociative disorder? " I would be interested in the results of a personality test for Pessoa. Do they still use the MMPI?

Getting into the meat of "A Factless Autobiography" was a trip of highs and lows. If there had been a completed, edited published work, I may have been able to give this book a higher rating. There were stanzas of pure genius. If read as poetry or lyrics, pieces could be very appreciated. I can see inspiration being found for lyrics for death thrash songs. Then there was the depressive drivel that continued on and on and on that reminded me of an emo teenager with too extensive of a vocabulary. The personality/heteronym writing this extensive passage has an internal depression that shines dully through. At times, it appears that there is a philosophical or ethical debate occurring in the author's head with himself that he is unable to resolve on paper. I also learned about my own mental health and the anxiety that I experience when things are not "complete". I really, really like things having a conclusion.

Now that you have read this far, I will tell you about a hot topic in this book.. TEDIUM.. it is defined many different ways in many different excerpts ad nauseum... possibly how henceforth I will define tedium.

In "A Disquiet Anthology", advice is given to unhappily married women... Horrible advice! A man who discusses his lack of ability to love and form relationships should not be giving out this type of advice.

Pieces I did enjoy included:
As labeled in my copy
127, 227, 263, 373, 466
With an editor and some work, this could have been a gem.

Pessoa does wrap up this whole writing very well in a quote "Nothing means anything." ...more

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