Network of persons and figures in Fernando Pessoa's publication plans

D

• Display.

  The "Display" option can be used to set how far the network is spread across the screen. If the option "very dense" is selected, the network is displayed in a smaller area, which makes it easier to get an overall view. However, individual nodes and connections are then not as easy to recognize. With the "very wide" option, the network spreads out, potentially making it not fully visible, but individual areas can be viewed better.In between, there are the medium options "dense" and "wide." The "Display" option is one of several choices for representing the network.The "Display" option is one of several selection options for the display of the network.

E

• Edges.

  The edges of the network represent that individuals from Pessoa's lists of publication plans were mentioned together. For more details on how edges are displayed, see Edges, Thickness.

• Edges, Thickness.

  The thickness of the edges in the network indicates how often individuals were mentioned together in the documents. The minimum edge thickness is 1 pixel (when mentioned together). For each additional mention together, the edge thickness increases by 1 pixel.

N

• Navigating within the network.

  To change the area in which the network is visible, you can scroll within the browser window. Moving the entire network with the mouse is not currently possible.

• Nodes.

  The nodes in the network represent individuals identified by their names. Every person mentioned in Pessoa's estate's editorial lists between 1913 and 1935 is part of the network. For more information on how nodes are represented, see Nodes, Size und Nodes, Color.

• Nodes, Color.

  The color of nodes in the network indicates whether a person is real (dark blue) or fictional (turquoise). Fictional includes literary characters like "Hamlet" and also Pessoa's own heteronyms. "Fernando Pessoa" himself is marked as real here, although parts of Pessoa's work and artistic conception also perceive him as a fictional character. For this network, a decision about a person's status has been made in all cases, even though further differentiation could be possible.

• Nodes, Double Click.

  Double-clicking on a node reduces the network visualization to the selected node and all connections to directly adjacent nodes. Double-clicking on a node again returns to the normal view of the network. Further Information about the nodes is available at Nodes, Nodes, Size, Nodes, Color und Nodes, Hover.

• Nodes, Hover.

  When you hover the mouse over a network node, the node itself and all edges directly coming from it are highlighted in red. This makes it easier to see which other individuals the selected person is directly connected to. For more information about the nodes, see Nodes, Nodes, Size, Nodes, Color and Nodes, Double Click.

• Nodes, Size.

  The size of nodes in the network is a minimum of 2 pixels, so that names of individuals who don't appear in a particular year or period but are part of the overall network can still be displayed. These names are shown in the background. For all names of individuals mentioned at least once in a document, the following formula applies: 2 + log2(size). "Size" indicates the frequency of occurrence: if a person is mentioned in 5 different documents, size=5. log2 represents the logarithm to base 2. This calculation is applied to prevent nodes in the network from differing too much in size, which could make the network very cluttered.

P

• Periodization A.

  The selection "Periodization A" can be used to limit the set of nodes (individuals) and edges (relations) displayed in the network. By default, the entire network is displayed, including all individuals mentioned in Pessoas' lists between 1913 and 1935, along with their connections if they appear together on the lists. If a single period is chosen, the display is reduced to the occurrences of individuals in the corresponding period. In the background, all individuals are still displayed, but without connections and grayed out.The option "Periodization A" is one of several selection options for the visualization of the network.

  Periodization A refers to three extended time periods, which altogether cover the period from 1913 to 1935. In 1913, Pessoa released his initial significant publications of his literary work. 1935 is the year of his death.

  1913-1918: Between 1913 and 1918, key works of the first generation of Portuguese Modernism were written and partially published, mainly in magazines such as Orpheu (1915) or Portugal Futurista (1917).

  1919-1927: From 1919 to 1927, Pessoa devoted himself to several individual publication projects, for example through the publishing house he founded, Olisipo (1921-1923), or the magazine he edited, Athena (1924-1925).

  1928-1935: In 1928, there's a turning point in how his work is received, marked by a strong interest from the second generation of modernists, particularly the editors of the magazine Presença. Between 1928 and 1935, Pessoa dedicates more effort than before to his poetic works and The Book of Disquiet, preparing works for a book publication that never materialized.

• Periodization B.

  The selection "Periodization B" can be used to limit the set of nodes (individuals) and edges (relations) displayed in the network. By default, the entire network is displayed, including all individuals mentioned in Pessoas' lists between 1913 and 1935, along with their connections if they appear together on the lists. If a single period is chosen, the display is reduced to the occurrences of individuals in the corresponding period. In the background, all individuals are still displayed, but without connections and grayed out.The option "Periodization B" is one of several selection options for the visualization of the network.

  Periodization B points to four time periods that together encompass the period from 1913 to 1935. In the year 1913, Pessoa released his initial significant publications of his literary work. 1935 is the year of his death.

  1913-1915: Between 1913 and 1915, the first works of heteronymous poetry were written, and significant works of the first generation of Portuguese Modernism were published in the literary magazine Orpheu (1915).

  1916-1919: The years from 1916 to 1919 are marked by a significant development and maturation of Pessoa's poetic and prose works, with further collective journals like Portugal Futurista (1917) being of crucial importance on the publication front.

  1920-1927: From 1920 to 1927, Pessoa focuses on various individual publishing projects. For instance, he establishes the Olisipo publishing house Olisipo (1921-1923) and edits the magazine Athena (1924-1925).

  1928-1935: In 1928, there's a turning point in how his work is received, marked by a strong interest from the second generation of modernists, particularly the editors of the magazine Presença. Between 1928 and 1935, Pessoa dedicates more effort than before to his poetic works and The Book of Disquiet, preparing works for a book publication that never materialized.

S

• Selection Options.

  By default, the entire network is displayed. The display can be modified using the selection options on the left edge of the window. The following options are available: Year, Periodization A, Periodization B, Display, Show Labels, Show All Names. The display of the section with the different selection options can be turned on or off using the button with three lines in the upper left corner. If you scroll down the network, the selection options area moves with it.

• Show Labels.

  With the button "Show label" you can set whether the names should be shown as labels of the nodes or not. By default, the names are shown. The "Show Labels" option is one of several selection options for visualizing the network.

• Show All Names.

  With the switch "Show All Names" can be set, whether also the persons or names are to be shown, which are mentioned exclusively alone on a list and therefore exist as nodes in the network, but have no connections to other persons/names. Whether a individual stands alone can change depending on the selection of the period or year. By default, all names are displayed. The option "Show All Names" is one of several selection options for displaying the network.

Y

• Year.

  Using the selection "Year", the number of nodes (individuals) and edges (relationships) displayed in the network can be restricted. By default, the entire network is displayed, including all individuals mentioned in Pessoas' lists between 1913 and 1935, along with their connections when they appear together in the lists. When a specific year is chosen, the display is limited to the occurrences of individuals in that corresponding year. In the background, all individuals are still displayed, but without connections and grayed out. The option "Year" is one of several selection options for the visualization of the network.

Background

In the estate of the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), numerous lists of planned publications can be found. However, only a few publications were actually realized during his lifetime. This creates a contrast between the realm of the possible and the realm of reality in literature and literary production. This tension is further heightened by the fact that Pessoa wrote - or planned to write - under various, totaling about 120 author names. Of particular significance in Pessoa's work and his literary plans are the names Alberto Caeiro, Álvaro de Campos, and Ricardo Reis, which he referred to as heteronyms.

The notepads, pages from notebooks, and other papers from Pessoa's estate, on which he wrote or typed his plans for his works, are being digitally edited in a collaboration between the Institute for the Study of Literature and Tradition (IELT) of the New University of Lisbon and the Cologne Center for eHumanities (CCeH) at the University of Cologne.

The documents are encoded in TEI, with occurrences of names being recorded and an identification of the persons and figures behind the names. The following images depict an example facsimile as well as the transcription of a list of planned publications written by Fernando Pessoa:

Interactive Network Visualization

Cologne / Lisbon / Würzburg 2017. The network has been updated in 2023.