António Lobo Antunes

The Profile

Portuguese novelist known for dense, stream-of-consciousness prose that addresses the Portuguese Colonial War, Portuguese society and personal trauma.

Writes novels notable for stream-of-consciousness technique; frequently addresses the Portuguese Colonial War (Angola), the Estado Novo period and themes of violence, addiction and human disintegration. Review explicitly compares his prose to Céline and describes autobiographical elements.

A visceral, stream-of-consciousness account that evokes twenty-seven months of war in Angola and the moral paralysis of Salazar's Portugal. The prose is dense, chaotic and hypnotic, compared by the reviewer to Céline. The book mixes personal horror, political critique and dark humor.