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
António Lobo Antunes Books
António Lobo Antunes crafted a literary legacy deeply informed by his experiences in the Angolan war and his lifelong practice as a psychiatrist. His dense and demanding prose, heavily influenced by literary giants like William Faulkner and James Joyce, delves into profound themes of death, memory, and the human psyche with unflinching intensity. Antunes' extensive body of work, translated into numerous languages, stands as a significant and compelling contribution to contemporary literature.







"Originally published in Portuguese by Publicaðcâoes Dom Quixote as Exortaðcäao aos Crocodilos in 1999" -- Title page verso.
Fado Alexandrino
- 497 pages
- 18 hours of reading
'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
The winner of the Portuguese Writers' Association Grand Prize for Fiction presents a febrile, funny, sometimes shocking story, about the greedy son-in-law of an ailing Portuguese tycoon and his efforts to steal the family fortune.
Commission of Tears
- 312 pages
- 11 hours of reading
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
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
Algumas Crónicas
- 188 pages
- 7 hours of reading
Drittes Buch der Chroniken: Deutsche Erstausgabe
- 316 pages
- 12 hours of reading
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.



