Profile

António Lobo Antunes (Lisbon, 1942) is a Portuguese author with an extensive body of work spanning various genres, from fiction to poetry, the latter considered somewhat peripheral in his oeuvre.

A military doctor during the Colonial War (1971–1973) and later a psychiatrist at Hospital Miguel Bombarda, he soon chose the imperative of writing over the rigorous practice of his profession. From his early novels—Elephant’s Memory and The Land at the End of the World (1979), Knowledge of Hell (1980)—his career as a novelist and columnist, both in Portuguese and international newspapers and magazines, received unprecedented critical acclaim, with translations into multiple languages, including a forthcoming complete edition in the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade.

Works such as Act of the Damned, The Inquisitors’ Manual, Don’t Step So Fast Into That Dark Night, My Name Is Legion, It Is Not Midnight Whoever Wants It To Be, I Walk Like a House on Fire, and The Size of the World, alongside his Chronicles and other narrative volumes, have solidified his place among the most significant figures in contemporary literature. This recognition has led to numerous prestigious literary awards.

Selected Literary Prizes: twice recipient of the Portuguese Writers’ Association Novel Prize; Best Foreign Book Award (France); Dinis Prize; France-Culture Prize; Rosalía de Castro Prize (Galicia); Latin Union Prize; Ovid Prize (Romanian Writers’ Union); Fernando Namora Prize; Estoril Sol Prize; Jerusalem Prize – International Book Fair; José Donoso Prize (Chile); Terenci Moix Prize (Catalonia); Juan Rulfo Prize (France); Excellence Prize – Transylvania Book Fair; Bottari Lattes Grinzane Prize (Italy); amões Prize.

He has been awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by several institutions, including the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, the Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania), and the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Peru).

Honours and Decorations – he has received high state honours, including: Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (France); Grand Cross of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword (Portugal); Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty (Portugal). From the Colonial War to his incisive, singular, and thought-provoking exploration of historical, psycho-sociological, and existential themes, often delving into uncharted territories of contemporary reality, his literary artistry has captivated readers worldwide.

António Lobo Antunes has been a Corresponding Member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences since 6 December 2016.