A escrita do apocalipse em Estuário de Lídia Jorge

  • Dora Nunes Gago Universidade de Macau/Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Keywords: Bildungsroman, contemporary Portuguese literature, dystopia in literature, metafictional narratives

Abstract

This article analyzes apocalyptic thought and writing in Lídia Jorge’s most recent novel, Estuário (2018). In this novel, the protagonist, Edmundo Galeano fears an unavoidable apocalypse, becoming the messenger for the end of the world yet at the same time its potential savior. Taking into account the theoretical contributions of Moylan, Rosenfeld, and Chassay, among others, we discuss how the intersection of the idea of apocalypse and the act of writing serves as a path toward the protagonist’s personal development and how Edmundo Galeano’s journey is represented through a bildungsroman with special characteristics. Our analysis is guided by two fundamental questions: What specificities does the representation of the apocalypse in this work have? What place may there be for hope?

Published
2022-08-12