Tragic identity in O esplendor de Portugal or on how to exile from yourself

Abstract

Through the recovery of the ambiguous concept of exile towards the establishment of a tragic identity in Oedipus Rex, this article investigates to what extent the understanding of this identity can illuminate the characterization of the characters in the novel O Esplendor de Portugal, by António Lobo Antunes. From an analysis of the formal aspects of the narrative, this article aims to identify how this novel problematizes the Portuguese colonial and postcolonial experience featuring the tragic identity of the characters through the symbolic exile from themselves.