António Lobo Antunes a forgé un héritage littéraire profondément marqué par ses expériences de la guerre d'Angola et sa pratique de toute une vie en tant que psychiatre. Sa prose dense et exigeante, fortement influencée par des géants littéraires tels que William Faulkner et James Joyce, aborde des thèmes profonds tels que la mort, la mémoire et la psyché humaine avec une intensité farouche. Le vaste corpus d'œuvres d'Antunes, traduit dans de nombreuses langues, constitue une contribution significative et captivante à la littérature contemporaine.
As the socialist revolution closes in, a once-wealthy Portuguese family is accused of economic sabotage and must escape across the border to Spain. But the patriarch lies dying, and his greedy son-in-law is scheming to secure the remains of the crumbling estate for himself. Only other family members keep getting in the way.
António Lobo Antunes' eleventh novel intricately explores the decline of a family and society under four decades of totalitarianism. The protagonist, Senhor Francisco, a powerful state minister and confidant of Salazar, anticipates becoming prime minister after Salazar's stroke in 1968. However, he is passed over for Marcelo Caetano, prompting him to retreat to his farm in Setúbal, where he plots a coup with other disgruntled ex-ministers and old army officers. Ultimately, it is younger officers who execute the peaceful Revolution of the Flowers in 1974, ending the dictatorship. Paranoid and isolated, Francisco accuses his farm workers of communism and drives them away, left alone to defend his crumbling estate against imagined threats. The narrative begins with Francisco in a nursing home, paralyzed and reflecting on his life. His only true love was his wife Isabel, who left him when their son João was young. Francisco's relationships with various women fail to fill the void left by Isabel. He becomes obsessed with a shop girl, Milá, who resembles her, creating a farcical illusion of a family life. As the regime collapses, the fallout affects all around him, including Milá and her mother, who return to despair, and his children, who face their own struggles. Isabel, too, is left alone, a casualty of love rather than politics. In contrast, Titina, the housekeeper, emerges as a symbol of hope. Unattractive and uneducated, sh
"Originally published in Portuguese by Publicaðcâoes Dom Quixote as Exortaðcäao aos Crocodilos in 1999" -- Title page verso.
'In this new work by the foremost Portuguese novelist, the reunion of five men on the tenth anniversary of their battalion's return from Mozambique, Portugal's Vietnam, ends in a fatal stabbing - which ultimately serves as an act of liberation for the corrupt city of Lisbon.' Newsday
Set against the backdrop of the Angolan Civil War, this novel explores the complexities of post-colonial Angola following its independence in 1975. It delves into the ethnic tensions and international pressures that complicate the nation’s transition, highlighting the power struggles among three main liberation movements. The narrative intricately weaves the historical context of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), its roots, and its connections to broader geopolitical influences, reflecting on the socio-economic challenges faced by the country.
A profound and genre-defying work of literature about love, death, and illness from one of Portugal's most celebrated writers
"Il manuale degli inquisitori" raccoglie i resoconti di cinque personaggi interconnessi: Joao, un ingegnere di origini contadine in una famiglia aristocratica portoghese che non accetta; Titina, la devota governante con aspirazioni materne; Paula, la sorella illegittima di Joao, che immagina una vita diversa; Mila, l'amante del padre di Joao, simbolo del mito dell'antica sposa; e il padre di Joao, un potente ministro di Salazar in declino. Le loro storie si intrecciano con quelle di altri personaggi, come la figlia del fittavolo sedotta dal padrone, l'ex moglie di Joao, lo zio, la cuoca madre di Paula, un veterinario, una terapista, un handicappato, un portiere e un ex ufficiale dell'esercito. Ognuno di loro, con le proprie narrazioni a volte contraddittorie, affronta il proprio passato e il contesto portoghese. Attraverso questo intreccio di voci, l'autore esplora la corrotta società portoghese sotto la dittatura salazarista, creando una saga incentrata sull'idea della casa tutelare. Tuttavia, emerge l'assenza di un nucleo familiare ideale, suggerendo l'impossibilità di realizzare completamente desideri e aspirazioni, con ognuno vittima di un destino scritto da altri, contro il quale non si può combattere.
In diesen kurzen, ursprünglich für eine portugiesische Tageszeitung geschriebenen Geschichten zeigt sich Lobo Antunes, der in seinen Romanen die Abgründe der menschlichen Seele erforscht, von seiner sonnigen Seite. Heitere Episoden aus der Kindheit, Spazi
Weise und leicht, traurig und poetisch, erbarmungslos und ironisch António Lobo Antunes ganz In 69 kleinen Geschichten, Phantasien und Reflexionen spricht der Autor von Kindheits- und Lebenserinnerungen, von Krankheit und Tod, von der Literatur und seiner Sicht auf die Welt. Er denkt über Sherlock Holmes und Virginia Woolf nach, über die Verbindung von Geld und Seele, die Harmonie der Welt, über die portugiesische Landschaft und über die Liebe.
