Observador offers comments on the conference 'Unveiling the Duke of Parma'

‘Calligraphy, types of paper and an online tragedy: the “never-ending” work on Fernando Pessoa's unfinished play’ is the title of a detailed report by the Observador journalist, who took part in the two-day event in Parma dedicated to Fernando Pessoa's incomplete tragedy. 

Rita Cipriano's article begins as follows:

'The University of Parma recently hosted a two-day conference that brought together experts to discuss the previously unpublished work The Duke of Parma. This tragedy, which had never been published before, is now available online. [...] The digital archive The Duke of Parma, which allows users to browse the play's manuscripts and read the respective transcripts, was unveiled under the arches and chandeliers of the historic University of Parma's historic ‘Hall of Philosophers’. This took place on 23 February as part of the international conference Unveiling The Duke of Parma, which brought together experts from different fields in the Italian city for two days to discuss Fernando Pessoa's tragedy. This meeting was the culmination of two years of research.'

The reporter noted that: 'The event provided an opportunity to review the work carried out in recent years and to share experiences, reflections and conclusions. The archive is available online, but there is still much more to be said and done about The Duke of Parma. Although the text is incomplete and fragmentary, it contains a wealth of information that could help to shed light on certain aspects of Pessoa's work that have not been widely explored.'

Finally, Rita Cipriano concluded as follows:

'The ‘revelation’ of The Duke of Parma at the University of Parma merely lifted the veil on a greater discovery, the full extent of which will only become apparent further down the line. Like all of Pessoa's work, The Duke of Parma is neither immediate nor obvious. In an essay published in 2018, Jerónimo Pizarro wrote that 'reading Pessoa is like entering a universe, or rather a "universão", as Álvaro de Campos described Walt Whitman'. The poet was aware of this: ‘What hands will I understand for what universe? The universe is not mine: it is me'. The Duke of Parma is just another constellation in this infinite universe.'

Read the whole article at this link.