O Ventriloco detrás do Espelho Partido: estudo sobre a poesia bilingue de Pessoa

Amidst a vast body of literature focussing on Pessoa’s Portuguese-language work, until recently comparatively little attention has been paid to his work in other languages, specifically, English. In this essay I argue that Pessoa’s bilingualism becomes a fundamental method of self-dilution in his deconstruction of self. In English in particular, a strong presence of other influential voices resonate in Pessoa’s language, further reinforcing this process. This ventriloquism leads to a true cacophony of voices in his English work, fulfilling the objectives he sets out for himself in Portuguese. I critique Bloom’s conclusion that this made Pessoa’s poetry ‘weaker’; indeed, in this light his English work asserts itself rather more convincingly than previously considered. Ultimately Pessoa’s project(s) of ‘deselving’ can only be comprehensively appreciated through the careful consideration of all of his work, across voices, heteronyms and languages.