Okay, let me be honest. That was clickbait. The book down below isn’t a novel at all. Gotcha! But still, it is a book, with words and pages and all those amazing bookish things we readers love. Sorry about the deception. That being said, my favorite book is The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa. Pessoa is a Portuguese poet that made his mark in the early 20th century. He was a poet, a critic, a writer, a translator and more. Plus, he had over 100 psuedonyms! Much of the literary work coming out of Portugal during the early 1900s was written by this one man under one of his pen names. All while maintaining a day job. Well, enough fangirling, I guess it’s time for me to share why The Book of Disquiet: A Factless Autobiography is my favorite.
I discovered Pessoa through a writer’s conference named DisQuiet, which you can check out here. Anywho, DisQuiet is a conference that takes place in Lisbon, Portugal, the home of Fernando Pessoa. And as a gift, someone gave me a copy of The Book of Disquiet: A Factless Autobiography. In fact, it was the Penguins Classics version and I still have it.
I began reading it and instantly fell in love with his seamless sentences, the way he weaves in random thoughts with daily occurences, the way he makes sense of the world. His writing is refreshing and I can come back to it again and again thanks to his sophisticated style. And just so you can get a glimpse at this incredible book here is a quote:
These are my Confessions…and if in them I say nothing it is because I have nothing to say.
This quote is taken from the section entitled 12 and it may be what made me so devoted to reading more of Pessoa’s work. Any writer who can connect with you on such a level deserves praise and a re-read. Pessoa talks about the mundane facts of life in a way that makes any and everything feel possible. And that is why The Book of DisQuiet is my favorite book of all time and one I recommend to anyone really.
Whether you prefer fiction or nonfiction, this book melds the two. Don’t like reading long works? The sections in the book are usually only 2 pages or less and you can always put it down and pick it up without losing a sense of the magic. Worried you can’t find it? Ha! Just check it out on your favorite library app or get it on an e-reader. Lol!
And before you ask, no this post isn’t sponsored. I just love this piece!
Have you ever heard of Pessoa? Or does this sound like something worth reading to you? Let me know down below in the comments. UPDATE: I have decided to extend my giveaway another week. I had no idea it would be so well received, so if you are interested in getting a free copy of Mom’s Perfect Boyfriend by Crystal Hemmingway, just follow me on Instagram, because those who follow my blog get 2 entries! For more info on that giveaway, click here!
What’s your favorite book? Why? I’m curious to see what books have caught the various eyes of my bookish family. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and friend me on Goodreads to stay up to date on my bookish adventures.
Happy reading!
Chyina
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