Hello there. After reading a bit of The Book of Disquiet, I decided to look into Pessoa's life and found that online mentions contradicts what he wrote in his book.
"I don't remember my mother. She died when I was one year old. […] My father, who lived far away, killed himself when I was three" (Entry 30, pp. 32-3)
According to online sources, his mother died when he was 37 and brought him to live with her and his step father during his childhood. Further, his father died when he was 5 of tuberculosis. At first, I thought he was being poetic about his mother dying figuratively, but he also said that others "[… told [him] later on that [his] mother was pretty" (p. 32) and now I'm wondering if he was talking about himself or making things up. I know a self biography can't be infallible and I've heard he tried to be dramatic for drama's sake sometimes, but I'm surprised I can't find any discussion of this foundational aspect of him. Should this just be an example of being unreliable? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
by kanvrises