António Lobo Antunes died

The writer who thought books weren’t meant to be read – they were supposed to work like a virus. He was 83 years old.

He was one of the best-known writers in Portugal for decades: Antonio Lobo Antunes died this Thursday.

He grew up in a family from the Portuguese big bourgeoisie, even graduated in medicine, became psychiatrist.

But in 1979 he began to appear in the world of writing. It was in that year that he published ‘Elephant’s Memory’ and ‘Judas’ Ass’. His experience in the colonial war (two years in Angola) and his experience in psychiatry were the clear inspirations for his first books.

Shortly afterwards, in 1985, psychiatry was left behind and began to dedicate exclusively for writing. To fight depressionjustified; adding that depression exists in everyone.

He went through several themes: the post-25th of April, his childhood and adolescence, the death of myths, affections of the past. An excessive, unique style.

There was not always widespread applause. Especially at the beginning. But, recalls , persistent disagreements began to disappear when his words had success abroad, especially in France.

‘Fado Alexandrino’, ‘The splendor of Portugal’, ‘Explanation of birds’, ‘The natural order of things’… Everything books that shouldn’t be readaccording to the author himself: because any book it should work like a virus – that entered readers and never left.

The famous man chronicles He thanked his parents for not giving him much love: the lack of affection, the loneliness, allowed him to launch himself into the world of writing.

And he reached the level that is known: he received the Latin Union Prize, the Grand Prize for Novel and Novel from the Portuguese Association of Writers, the Best Foreign Book published in France, recognition at the Frankfurt Book Fair, “Commandeur” of the Order of Arts and Letters in France, Grand Collar of the Order of Sant’Iago da Espada, or Order of Liberty and the Camões Prize.

Born during World War II, in 1942. Dies during other wars, in 2026. He had 83 years.