António Lobo Antunes

António Lobo Antunes in March 2010

António Lobo Antunes, GCSE, MD (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈtɔniu ˈloβu ɐ̃ˈtunɨʃ]; born 1 September 1942) is a Portuguese novelist and medical doctor. He has been named as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature.[1]

Life and career

António Lobo Antunes was born in Lisbon as the eldest of six sons of João Alfredo de Figueiredo Lobo Antunes (born 1915), prominent Neurologist and professor, close collaborator of Egas Moniz, Nobel prize of physiology, and wife Maria Margarida Machado de Almeida Lima (born 1917).

At the age of seven he decided to be a writer, but when he was 16, his father sent him to the medical school of the University of Lisbon. He graduated as a medical doctor, later specializing in psychiatry. During this time he never stopped writing.

By the end of his education, Lobo Antunes had to serve with the Portuguese Army to take part in the Portuguese Colonial War (1961–1974). In a military hospital in Angola he became interested in the subjects of death and "the other."[2]

Lobo Antunes came back from Africa in 1973. The Angolan War of Independence was the subject of many of his novels. He worked many months in Germany and Belgium.

In 1979, Lobo Antunes published his first novel, Memória de Elefante (Elephant's Memory), in which he told the story of his separation. Due to the success of his first novel, Lobo Antunes decided to devote his evenings to writing. He has been practicing psychiatry as well, mainly at the outpatients' unit at the Hospital Miguel Bombarda of Lisbon.

His style is considered to be very dense, heavily influenced by William Faulkner and Louis-Ferdinand Céline, and his books are also tend to be on the longer side.

He was granted the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint James of the Sword.

Personal life

He married his first wife Maria José Xavier da Fonseca e Costa (1946–1999), the second of three daughters of José Hermano da Costa and wife Clara da Conceição de Barros Xavier da Fonseca e Costa, by whom he has two daughters: Maria José Lobo Antunes in 1971 and Joana Lobo Antunes in 1973. They were divorced.

His second wife (whom he also divorced) was Maria João Espírito Santo Bustorff Silva (born Lisbon, 13 August 1950), daughter of António Sérgio Carneiro Bustorff Silva and wife Ana Maria da Anunciação de Fátima de Morais Sarmento Cohen do Espírito Santo Silva, by whom she has one daughter: Maria Isabel Bustorff Lobo Antunes (born 1983).

He was married for the third time in 2010 to Cristina Ferreira de Almeida, daughter of João Carlos Ferreira de Almeida (Lisbon, 1941 – 2008) and wife Natércia Ribeiro da Silva.

Bibliography

The following is the chronological list of published works considered canonical by the author himself, the novels and the books of chronicles.

Novels:

Books of chronicles:

Lobo Antunes also published five compilation books featuring texts previously published in magazines. They are also canonical according to the author.

The Fat Man and Infinity & Other Writings - A compilation published in English (2009), translated by Margaret Jull Costa.

At the moment Lobo Antunes writes a biweekly newspaper column for Visão, a Portuguese magazine.

Non-canonical Bibliography

The following is the chronological list of published works but considered non-canonical by the author himself.

Related Bibliography

Awards

References

  1. ↑ http://www.dn.se/arkiv/kultur/var-hamnar-pricken-i-ar-litteraturpristagaren-utses-i-dag
  2. ↑ Conrad, Peter (4 May 2009). "Doctor and Patient". The New Yorker.

External links

António Lobo Antunes, official site

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