If some figures are smudged by passing time, Pessoa has grown steadily sharper. Time was needed to bring him back down to the ground — to piece together a full picture from the contents of his trunk. In contrast to Emily Dickinson, who seems to have been genuinely indifferent to the survival of her work, Pessoa wanted to be read. It has long been obvious to gay readers that Pessoa was one of them. Zenith brings a nuanced understanding to this question, and describes how the poet finally sublimated his erotic yearnings into a mystical chastity.

Source: New York Times July 13, 2021 09:00 UTC