Fernando Pessoa, our patron, was the greatest poet of Portuguese-language literary modernism and a thought-provoking thinker about a more cultured and daring Portugal in the construction of its future.

[Chronology resulting from the adaptation and summary of the chronology of the poet's life and work presented by João Gaspar Simões (in Fernando Pessoa – a brief history of his life and work, Lisbon, Difel, 1983), by José Augusto Seabra (in Fernando Pessoa or the Poetodrama, National Mint Press) and by Maria José de Lencastre (in Fernando Pessoa: A Photobiography, Lisbon, Quetzal Editores, 1996).]

1888: Poet Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa was born on June 13th, on the 4th floor left of number 4 Largo de São Carlos in Lisbon, son of Maria Magdalena Pinheiro Nogueira and Joaquim de Seabra Pessoa.
1889: Date of birth of Alberto Caeiro
1890: Date of birth of Álvaro de Campos
1893: In January, Jorge, the poet's brother, is born. On July 13th, Joaquim de Seabra Pessoa, Fernando Pessoa's father, dies at the age of 43.
1894: In January, his brother Jorge dies. The poet's mother, Maria Magdalena Pinheiro Nogueira Pessoa, meets Commander João Miguel Rosa. Creation of the first heteronym: Chevalier de Pas. João Miguel Rosa is appointed Interim Consul in Durban, South Africa.
1895: In July, Fernando Pessoa writes his first poem: “To my dear mother”. On December 30th, Dona Maria Magdalena marries, by proxy, Commander João Miguel Rosa.
1896: Departure for South Africa of Dona Maria Madalena and her son, at the beginning of January. Henriqueta Madalena, the poet's sister, is born.
1897: Fernando Pessoa begins primary school and in three years achieves the equivalent of 5 years of schooling.
1898: In October, the second daughter of the couple Miguel Rosa, Madalena Henriqueta, is born.
1899: In April, Fernando Pessoa enrolled at Durban High School, Form II-B. In June he moved to Form II-A. In December he won the Form Prize in Form II-A. That year he created the heteronym Alexandre Search, under whose name he wrote letters to himself.
1900: In January, the couple's third child, Luís Miguel, is born. In June, Fernando Pessoa progresses to Form III and is awarded a prize in French.
1901: In June, Fernando Pessoa takes the Cape School High Examination. Madalena Henriqueta dies. In August, Fernando Pessoa visits Portugal with his family.
1902: Birth of the fourth child of the couple Miguel Rosa, João Rosa. The family returns to Durban in September. Fernando Pessoa enrolls in the Commercial School in Durban.
1903: Takes the entrance exam for the University of the Cape of Good Hope. Reads Shakespeare, Milton, Byron, Poe, Keats, Shelley, Tennyson. Writes poems in English under the pseudonym Alexandre Search. The pseudonyms Charles Robert Anon and HMF Lecher emerge.
1904: Returns to High School and enters Form IV. Wins the Queen Victoria Prize for her English essay, an entrance exam for the University of Cape Town. Birth of another daughter, Maria Clara. In December, takes the Intermediate Examination in Arts at the University of Cape Town. Completes her studies in South Africa.
1905: He leaves alone for Lisbon and goes to live with his grandmother Dionísia and his two aunts.
1906: Enrolls in the Higher Course of Letters in Lisbon. The family returns to Lisbon for vacation. During this stay, his sister Maria Clara dies.
1907: He abandons his studies without completing the first year. With money inherited from his grandmother Dionísia, he sets up a printing press which he names Empresa Ibis – Tipografia Editora – Oficinas a Vapor (Ibis Company – Printing and Publishing – Steam Workshops), which barely gets off the ground.
1908: He enters the business world as a "foreign correspondent," a profession he will practice throughout his life.
1910: The magazine A Águia, 1st phase, is founded in Porto.
1911: Pessoa is commissioned to translate into Portuguese an Anthology of Universal Authors, directed by an American publisher.
1912: In January, the Portuguese Renaissance was founded in Porto. The newspaper *A Águia*, directed by Teixeira de Pascoaes, became the organ of this movement. In April, he published his first article in *A Águia*, the organ of the Portuguese Renaissance, entitled "The New Portuguese Poetry Sociologically Considered," where he prophesied the emergence of a "Supra-Camões." He began his correspondence with Mário de Sá-Carneiro, who, from Paris, informed him of new movements such as Cubism and Futurism. The poet Ricardo Reis was born in his mind.
1913: He writes the poem "Pauis," which would give rise to Paulism. He comes into contact with Almada Negreiros and Mário de Sá-Carneiro. He writes "O marinheiro" (The Sailor), a static drama. He collaborates with the weekly newspaper Teatro and continues his collaboration with A Águia. He writes "Epithalamium" and "Hora Absurda" (Absurd Hour).“
1914: Alberto Caeiro emerges with the text "The Keeper of Flocks". He writes "Triumphal Ode" and "Opiary", attributed to Álvaro de Campos. He writes "Oblique Rain", a key text of Intersectionism. He moves to Rua Pascoal de Melo, to his aunt Anica's house. In June, he writes the first poem of Ricardo Reis. In a letter to Sá-Carneiro, dated July, he declares that he has reached the full period of his literary maturity. Break with the poets of A Águia.
1915: Lives for a time at the Leitaria Alentejana (Alentejo Dairy), due to Aunt Anica's departure for Switzerland. The first issue of Orpheu is published in April. The second issue of Orpheu is published in July. Mário de Sá-Carneiro leaves for Paris. Period of intense literary production by Fernando Pessoa and his heteronyms. Possible date of Alberto Caeiro's death.
1916: In April, Mário de Sá-Carneiro commits suicide in Paris at the Hotel de Nice. Almada Negreiros publishes the "Anti-Dantas Manifesto". In September, the release of the third issue of Orpheu is announced, but it never appears. He collaborates on magazines such as Centauro and Exílio.
1917: The first and only issue of Portugal Futurista, a magazine published by Almada Negreiros and Santa-Rita Pintor, is released, featuring Álvaro de Campos's "Ultimatum".“
1918: Santa-Rita Pintor and Amadeo de Sousa Cardoso die. Pessoa publishes his English poems "Antinous" and "35 Sonnets".“
1919: Despite having presumed him dead, he writes a series of poems (“Uncollected Poems”) in the name of Alberto Caeiro on this date. Ricardo Reis goes into exile in Brazil. Commander João Miguel Rosa, the poet's stepfather, dies in Pretoria.
1920: He writes his first love letter and begins a courtship with Ophélia Queirós. He moves to Rua Coelho da Rocha, where he will live with his mother and siblings.
1921: He publishes his "English Poems" (I, II and III) through a publishing house he founded himself (Olisipo).
1922: Began contributing regularly to the magazine Contemporânea.
1924: The beginning of Surrealism in France. The first issue of the magazine Athena, which Fernando Pessoa edited with the painter Ruy Vaz, was published in October.
1925: Death of the poet's mother. Athena ceases publication.
1926: Pessoa, along with his brother-in-law, Colonel Caetano Dias, directs the Revista de Comércio de Contabilidade (Accounting and Commerce Review), whose first issue is published in January of that year, and in which he publishes articles on socio-economic topics.
1927: The first issue of the "art and criticism journal" – Presença – is published in Coimbra.
1929: He resumes his courtship with Ophélia Queirós. He undertakes, with António Botto, the publication of an Anthology of Modern Portuguese Poets.
1930: He begins corresponding with the English magician Aleister Crowley and receives a visit from him in September. The magician mysteriously disappears that month at Boca do Inferno, in Cascais, a disappearance in which Fernando Pessoa participates. A fruitful period of heteronymous and orthonymous poetic creation. He continues his collaboration with Presença.
1931: Publishes in the journal Presença with the translation of Aleister Crowley's "Hymn to Pan".
1932: He unsuccessfully applies for a position as curator of a bibliographic museum in Cascais. He collaborates with the magazine Presença, where he publishes Iniciação as well as fragments of The Book of Disquiet.
1933: Goes through a serious neurasthenic crisis.
1934: In December, Mensagem (Message) is published. That same month, for the publication of the work, he is awarded the second category of the Antero de Quental prize by the National Propaganda Secretariat.
1935: He was admitted to the Hospital de S. Luís in Lisbon on November 28th, where he died on November 30th.