The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa

Fernando Pessoa is probably the greatest Portuguese writer and poet of all time. Walking around Lisbon, one is sure to stumble upon at least one of his monuments or even his last residence – now a cultural space and bookshop. It’s only fair to get to know who this great man was and what he wrote.

The Book of Disquiet is his most famous work, which was actually unfinished and published around 50 years after his death. The book is hard to define – it is part autobiography, part personal diary, prose, poetry, and descriptive narrative. It is considered one of the greatest modernist works, not only in Portugal but in the whole world.

Fernando Pessoa is also known for developing the concept of literary heteronyms – imaginary characters created by the writer that write instead of him. Heteronyms are similar to pen names, with the difference being that they have their own writing styles and often their own imaginary biographies. Pessoa had around 70 heteronyms and the one that was closest to the real Fernando Pessoa, Bernardo Soares, was actually the name The Book of Disquiet was signed under.

Famous American literary critic George Steiner says about the book that it “gives to Lisbon the haunting spell of Joyce’s Dublin or Kafka’s Prague.”

Pessoa’s statue outside Lisbon’s famous coffeehouse: “A Brasileira”.

The year of the death of Ricardo Reis by José Saramago

Jose Saramago, one of the most acclaimed writers in the world today and the winner of the Noble Prize in Literature in 1998, also comes from Portugal.

The main character of the book, Ricardo Reis, who is actually one of the heteronyms of Fernando Pessoa, comes back to Lisbon after having lived for 16 years in Brazil. He spends the last year of his life there, staying in a hotel, spending his days wandering around the grey and melancholic Lisbon streets and having philosophical conversations with the ghost of Pessoa. All that happens while the dictatorship of Salazar is establishing its control over the country.

Discover 10 beautiful quotes on Portugal

Journey to Portugal: In Pursuit of Portugal’s History and Culture by José Saramago

Saramago’s other famous work is the book he wrote to show his love for the history, culture, and beauty of his country. Narrating in the third person, referring to himself as ‘the traveler’, he takes the reader on a journey through Portugal beyond the tourist sites and travel guides. His writing brings to life every city, town and natural landmark he discovers during the itinerary.

Night train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier

This masterpiece by Swiss author Pascal Mercier is a lot more than travel inspiration – it is a philosophical novel that asks and answers questions about decisions, loneliness, love, and death. The story follows the investigation of Swiss teacher Raimund Gregorius: one day on his way to work he saves a young Portuguese woman from suicide. She disappears immediately afterward, leaving behind only a book by Amadeu de Prado. Spontaneously, Raimund decides to investigate the story of de Prado and takes the night train to Lisbon. His journey leads him through the mysterious streets of Lisbon and introduces him to live under the oppressive regime of Salazar when the wise doctor Amadeus de Prado lived.

In 2013, a movie based on the book was released, starring Jeremy Irons and Melanie Laurent.

To learn more about the Salazar regime and the resistance covered in the book, you might want to visit the Museum of Aljube in Lisbon.

Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire by Roger Crowley

Roger Crowley is a New York Times bestselling writer and historian who tells the story of how the great Portuguese conquerors turned the poor kingdom of Portugal into one of the largest and longest-lived colonial empires in the world. Though highly informative, the book is nothing like a typically boring academic work. Instead, it captivates the reader by turning historical figures into living characters and remains fascinating from beginning to end.

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The Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

This is not only a literary classic; the stories about the legendary detective are also a great way to travel back to Victorian London. Nowadays a lot of Sherlock Holmes-themed sites are open to visitors in the city, including the Sherlock Holmes museum on 221b Baker Street and Sherlock Holmes Pub (besides being a bar and a restaurant, the pub has a secret – a complete recreation of Holmes and Watson’s study and sitting room with a large collection of objects from the books and adaptations). Organized Sherlock Holmes tours take you to some of the iconic places featured in the books, as well as in the many movie adaptations.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

A trip to London might be a good reason to re-read this classic if you haven’t done it already or even a better reason to read for the first time. Written in Dickens’ sarcastic style, the novel paints a portrait of London’s society and its problems in the mid 19^th century, following the story of the orphan boy Oliver.

This is actually the first book in English literature in which the main character is a child. Over 90 London locations featured in the tale are now yours to explore (check this website for some ideas).

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Wolf

A novel about one day in the life of Mrs. Dalloway – a high society woman living in post-WWI London. Though the story is technically about the protagonist walking the streets of London in the morning, preparing for a party in the evening, some thought-provoking issues are covered – like depression and mental illnesses, faith and doubt, and existential crisis. Aside from its strong thematic content, this masterpiece is full of London history and paints a literary landscape of the city.

Absolute Beginners by Collin MacInnes

London, 1958. A teenage photographer lives in an attic flat in West London and is determined to turn his last year of adolescence into a “real rave: In the smoky jazz clubs of Soho and the coffee bars of Notting Hill the young and the restless – the absolute beginners – are revolutionising youth culture and forging a new carefree lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.”

The novel describes the lives of the city’s Caribbean immigrants, poor English people, homosexuals, and drug addicts. It covers the themes of the emerging new youth culture, jazz music, racial tensions and describes the development of what would be later called mod subculture – famous in London in the 1960s.

In 1986, a movie based on the novel was made, with a theme song of the same name by David Bowie. The song would become one of Bowie’s most successful singles.

London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd

Moving on to some non-fiction books, you can’t miss the ultimate portrayal of London described by Peter Ackroyd in his work London: The Biography. It covers pretty much everything needed to bring the city to live in the reader’s mind: history, fashion, food, and lifestyle.

Londoners by Craig Taylor

Craig Taylor is an English journalist and writer who spent five years exploring London and meeting its citizens to gather the stories of “the days and nights of London now – as told by those who love it, hate it, live it, left it and long for it.” The book consists of more than 80 interviews with people of different occupations, races and social classes, who together create the vivid atmosphere of the city.

Walk the Lines: The London Underground, Overground by Mark Mason

Mark Mason walks the whole length of the London Underground and shares everything he comes across on the way through all the stations – curious facts, insight information, interesting conversations and different points of view. Because “the only way to truly discover a city, they say, is on foot”.

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