A geocritical journey through the spaces of childhood in António Lobo Antunes and José Saramago – the autobiographical element

Abstract

This study investigates the representation of childhood spaces in the works of two canonical Portuguese writers: António Lobo Antunes and José Saramago. Particular emphasis is placed on the autobiographical dimensions of these spaces within both authors’ narratives, focusing on specific locations identified by concrete geographical coordinates. These places are deeply intertwined with personal and emotional memory, while simultaneously constructing an emotional and psychological landscape of childhood. Childhood spaces will be explored through the lens of geocriticism, with attention given to both the similarities and divergences in how this theme is treated by Lobo Antunes and Saramago.