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Rating: 
Summary: Is Pessoa that good?
Review: I read no Portugese; judged only by this English translation, Pessoa doesn't seem to me as great a poet as his reputation has it. Campos' late poems sound to me the most powerful parts of this collection; "Pessoa the namesake"'s quatrains also sound original; but Caeiro's poetry seems to me an artistic failure. Could some Portugese reader tell me is Pessoa really that good? A previous reviewer said that Mr. Zenith's translaion is too colloquial; I have the same feeling when reading Reis' odes and "Pessoa the namesake"'s quatrains; once again, I want to ask for a Portugese reader's opinion. The introduction for the whole book and the short biographies for each heterohym are quite well written, amusing and entertaining, much to Mr. Zenith's credit.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the one to get.
Review: I've been reading and translating Pessoa for several years now, and know his work very well. I have a few minor quibbles with the introductory material, but that's to be expected. Richard Zenith is a terrific translator, and also obviously an excellent poet. I couldn't possibly praise his work too highly. Fernando Pessoa was a great poet; all lovers of poetry owe Richard Zenith tremendous gratitude. Read this book, and then look for anything else RZ has translated. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: From a Portuguease reader
Review: I've read many of Pessoa's works and studied him at school. I remenber that after studying some very weel-know pets we reached Pessoa. I also remenber and i'll possibly never forget that after reading some of his poems i just exclaimed out loud "Ei, este gajo é um genio"-"ohh, this guy's a genious".
I write poetry for some years now and i'm always very critic about it. But Pessoa just seems to be ahead of our own critic, sometimes wondering in our own mind, How does he do that !?
Someone hear in Amazon was surprised by the reviews posted here and asked "Is he really that good, or is the translation not so good" Then he just asked if some portuguease writer could clarify it. Well i am portuguease and i tell you he is really that good or even better.
I try the best i can to be objective in my reviews but when we talk about Pessoa we talk about emotions and feelings.
About coloquial language, at least the portuguese original texts are not, mostly if you compare them to other famous portuguese poets like Camoes or Bocage.
As to Caeiro's poetry, it is simply his need to see things in a different perpective.
Pessoa is that kind of author that doesn't carries his heart at his mouth and his cause at his pen, this is a very mental experience, a reflexion on basic feelings and senses, such a deep vision on subjectivism that just a man that baunces on the thin line of genious and madness would achieve.
It astonishes...
Rating:
Summary: From a Portuguease reader
Review: I've read many of Pessoa's works and studied him at school. I remenber that after studying some very weel-know poets we reached Pessoa. I also remenber and i'll possibly never forget that after reading some of his poems i just exclaimed out loud "Ei, este gajo e um genio"-"ohh, this guy's a genious".
I write poetry for some years now and i'm always very critic about it. But Pessoa just seems to be ahead of our own critic, sometimes wondering in our own mind, How does he do that !?
Someone hear in Amazon was surprised by the reviews posted here and asked "Is he really that good, or is the translation not so good" Then he just asked if some portuguease reader could clarify it. Well i am portuguease and i tell you he is really that good or even better.
I try the best i can to be objective in my reviews but when we talk about Pessoa we talk about emotions and feelings. After all who can be indifferent to the work that some call the most beatifull writing in the world (Jean-Pierre Thibaudat) and others remember it as the most inspiring author of our time! If i have to be objective i shall say his poems gives me a shiver in my spine...his prose: a moment of silence with my innerself.
About coloquial language, at least the portuguese original texts are not, mostly if you compare them with other famous portuguese poets like Camoes or Bocage.
As to Caeiro`s poetry and other others heteronyms, it is simply his need to see things in a different perpective.
This is a man that recognized himself to have sacrificed his live, his soul, his hapinnes and his mental health to be remenbered, just so that someone, even if only a single person, would remember him. And here he is now...and here we are with him.
Pessoa is that kind of author that doesn?t carries his heart at his mouth and his cause at his pen, this is a very mental experience, a reflexion on basic feelings and senses, such a deep vision on subjectivism that just a man that baunces between the thin line of genious and madness would achieve.
It astonishes...
Rating:
Summary: Great poetry.
Review: If Fernando Pessoa had lived in an English-speaking country (and mind you, he spoke perfect English since childhood and wrote some of his poems in that language), he would probably be more popular among academians and university students as Pound or Elliot. During his lifetime, he assumed a number of names and personalities, which reflect different and complementary ways of understanding life and poetry. From theoretical paganism towards XXth century malaise, his work is very thorough. Whereas some of his poems might seem a bit depressing (I am thinking about "The tobacco shop" and "The road to Sintra"), the mere fact somebody wrote something as beautiful and human makes them enlightening. I know this isn't an academic review as such, but Pessoa's poetry needn't only be read from you mind, but also from your gut. This a book definitely worth buying if you consider yourself a poetry lover.
Rating:
Summary: Four heads are better than one
Review: Just being himself wasn't good enough for Fernando Pessoa, so he divided himself into four distinct, invented personalities ("heteronyms") and wrote poetry from the perspective and in the style of each of them. This in itself is a remarkable feat of literary imagination. The poetry itself (well, this translation of it) is startling. It's direct and plain-spoken for the most part, even allowing for the personality differences. It may look un-poetic, or even awkward, at first reading. But it sticks. Days after reading, you may find lines and phrases of Pessoa & Co. springing up spontaneously in your head, just because they're so sharp and to the point. Getting to know this multitudinous poet is an invigorating experience. Try it yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Shoddy translation
Review: Just being himself wasn't good enough for Fernando Pessoa, so he divided himself into four distinct, invented personalities ("heteronyms") and wrote poetry from the perspective and in the style of each of them. This in itself is a remarkable feat of literary imagination. The poetry itself (well, this translation of it) is startling. It's direct and plain-spoken for the most part, even allowing for the personality differences. It may look un-poetic, or even awkward, at first reading. But it sticks. Days after reading, you may find lines and phrases of Pessoa & Co. springing up spontaneously in your head, just because they're so sharp and to the point. Getting to know this multitudinous poet is an invigorating experience. Try it yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Pessoa: Pure poet
Review: The fact that Pessoa is a foreign poet just recently introduced in English and the publisher had run out of stock at the moment, speaks volumes. As Yogi Bera said, it only happenned in America. All too rarely.
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