Fernando Pessoa on scenery

Amiel says that scenery is a mood, but his statement is merely the weak boutade of a weak dreamer. As soon as scenery is scenery it stops being a mood. To objectify is to create, and no one says that a finished poem is the state of thinking about finishing it. Seeing may well be dreaming, but if we all it seeing instead of dreaming, i's because we make a distinction between dreaming and seeing.

In any case, of what use are these speculations on verbal psychology? Independently of me, the grass grows, it rains on the grass that grows, and the sun gilds all the grass that grew or is going to grow; the mountains arose long, long ago, and the wind howls in the same way Homer heard it - even if he didn't exist. It might be more precise to say that a mood is a scenery; the statement would have the advantage of not containing the lie entailed in a theory, even if the only truth it does contain is that of a metaphor.

These random ideas were dictated to me by the grand panorama of the city, which I saw in the universal light of the sun form the top of São Pedro de Alcântara. Every time I contemplate a panorama like that, I forget the five feet seven and one hundred and twenty-four pounds that I am physically, I have a hugely metaphysical smile for those who dream that dreams are dreams, and I love the truth of things absolutely external with the noble virtue of my understanding.

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I have no faith in scenery. That's right. I don't say it because I believe in Amiel's "scenery is a mood," one of the felicitous verbal moments of that most insufferable interiorizer. I say it because I don't believe it.

- Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

Been reading bits and pieces of Pessoa's posthumous prose work recently. His observations, which rarely go more than a single page, are full of comments such as this that give me reasons to pause and to think about matters. While I suppose I could make some connections to the occasional discussions regarding that amped-up scenery called "worldbuilding," I won't. What I'll do is let this piece create its own images within those who read this, in hopes that perhaps they'll be willing to read this outstanding early 20th century Portuguese poet and writer.

Interesting "easter eggs" in stories

I decided to read the introduction to Fernando Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet tonight before going to bed, because I wanted to know more about one of Portugal's greatest writers. What I quickly learned was that he used a multiplicity of pseudonyms, which he called "heteronyms," with each having its own distinct "personality."

One of those happened to be Ricardo Reis. Which of course reminded me of one of the few major books by José Saramago that I had yet to purchase/read, The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis. Now I'm certainly going to have to get that one soon, especially since I've just learned a bit more about the "real" 'Ricardo Reis.'

But what about you? What little things, or "easter eggs" as video gamers call the hidden surprises, have you discovered in reading a book that you thought made for an even more enjoyable experience or perhaps led to discovering a new author?