Description: A bilingual collection of exquisite poems and prose by one of Fernando Pessoa's most famous "heteronyms," Ricardo Reis
Brief description: Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), the Portuguese poet, literary critic, and essayist, is one of the most significant literary figures of the twentieth century. He wrote not only under his own name but under over a hundred others (including Alexander Search, Alberto Caeiro, Álvaro de Campos, Ricardo Reis, and Bernardo Soares).
Review Quotes: A rhapsodic collection of poems. In this marvelous introduction to Pessoa's multitudes, readers will find a wealth of material to explore among the subversive paganism of Reis' odes. A gem of literary history that will spark further exploration through the author's canon. Despite each poem striving to reach the same sense of enlightenment, they rarely feel redundant and instead recapitulate like a recurring motif. Classical imagery courses through, imbuing the poems with Dionysian ecstasy.-- "Kirkus (starred)"