Álvaro de Campos
Álvaro de Campos: A Life of Poetic Expression
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#### Full Name and Common Aliases
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Álvaro de Campos was a pseudonym used by the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. Other notable pseudonyms attributed to Pessoa include Ricardo Reis and Bernardo Soares.
#### Birth and Death Dates
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Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa, better known as Álvaro de Campos, was born on June 13, 1888, in Lisbon, Portugal. He passed away on November 30, 1935, at the age of 47.
#### Nationality and Profession(s)
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Pessoa's nationality is a subject of debate among scholars due to his complex identity as a Portuguese citizen with strong ties to Brazil and other countries. Álvaro de Campos was primarily a poet and writer, producing some of Pessoa's most notable works under this pseudonym.
#### Early Life and Background
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Born into a family that valued literature and poetry, Fernando Pessoa began writing at an early age. His father, José de Sousa Dias, was a commercial agent who later became the Consul General of Portugal in South Africa. Due to his father's profession, Pessoa spent time in South Africa, which likely influenced his cosmopolitan perspective.
Pessoa was educated in Lisbon and later moved to Coimbra to study law at the University of Coimbra. However, he never completed his degree, instead devoting himself to literature and philosophy.
#### Major Accomplishments
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As Álvaro de Campos, Pessoa wrote extensively on various topics, including modernism, symbolism, and existentialism. His poetry is characterized by its exploration of themes like identity, loneliness, and the human condition.
Pessoa's notable works include "The Keepers of Silences," a collection of poems written in the style of Álvaro de Campos. This pseudonym allowed Pessoa to experiment with different voices and styles, reflecting his interest in heteronyms (multiple fictional identities).
#### Notable Works or Actions
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Under the pseudonym Ricardo Reis, Pessoa published "The Message" (O Mensageiro), a collection of poems that reflect his interest in classical themes and philosophical ideas. As Bernardo Soares, he wrote "The Book of Disquiet," an unfinished novel that explores themes of absurdity and alienation.
Pessoa's work had a significant impact on modernist movements in Europe and beyond. His use of heteronyms allowed him to experiment with different voices and styles, influencing generations of writers and poets.
#### Impact and Legacy
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Álvaro de Campos' poetry has been translated into numerous languages and continues to be widely read and studied today. Pessoa's exploration of themes like identity and loneliness resonates deeply with readers worldwide.
Pessoa's influence extends beyond literature; his work has inspired artists, musicians, and filmmakers. His cosmopolitan perspective and use of heteronyms have made him a fascinating figure in the literary world.
#### Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Álvaro de Campos' poetry is widely quoted for its thought-provoking exploration of human existence. Pessoa's use of language, which often blends poetic and philosophical themes, has made him a favorite among scholars and readers.
Pessoa's work continues to be relevant today due to its focus on themes like identity, loneliness, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world. As Álvaro de Campos, Pessoa's poetry offers a unique perspective on the human condition, making him one of the most quoted and remembered figures in 20th-century literature.
Quotes by Álvaro de Campos
Álvaro de Campos's insights on:
Arre, que tanta besta é muito pouca gente!Arre, que o Portugal que se vê é só isto!Deixem ver o Portugal que não deixam ver!
I always want to be the thing I feel kinship with...To feel everything in every way,To hold all opinions,To be sincere contradicting oneself every minute...
Que grande vantagem o recordar intrasigentemente!Agora tenho pena de nunca mais ter visto a outra raparigaE tenho pena de nem sequer ter olhado para esta(...)Porque todas as recordações são a mesma recordação,Tudo o que foi é a mesma morte,Ontem, hoje, quem sabe se até amanhã?
in exceptional circumstances — exceptional in that all circumstances in life are exceptional, especially those which are nothing in themselves and come to be everything in their results.
Nothing: a landscape, a glass of wine, a little loveless love, and the vague sadness caused by our understanding nothing and having lost the little we're given.
the Great Vaccination — the vaccination against the stupidity of the intelligentsia.
He possesses the minimum sensibility necessary for his intelligence not to be merely mathematical, the minimum a human being needs so that it can be proven with a thermometer that he's not dead.
and the idea of nothingness — the most terrifying of all ideas, when thought of with feeling — has, in my dear master’s work and in my memories of him, something as high and luminous as sunlight upon snowy, unscalable peaks.